250 



PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OF PRUNING 



the growing of other fruit trees. Some varieties are 

 more amenable than others to this form. 



Annual pruning after the quince reaches the bearing 

 age consists in thinning the young growth and shorten- 



FIG. 213 CANKERED LIMB SHOWING BLIGHT EXUDATIONS 

 These sticky, milky drops are made up almost wholly of blight bacteria 



ing the balance 50 to 70 per cent. When properly man- 

 aged, the annual growths should be from 1 to 2 feet, with 

 an excellent range of 15 to 18 inches. When the growth 

 is rank the buds which are to produce blooming shoots 

 will be near the tips and so will largely be lost in the 

 pruning. The best buds, by the way, are not usually the 

 terminals but the laterals on the upper half of the annual 

 growths. The main ideas in annual pruning should be 

 to keep the plant well within bounds and to secure an 

 ample supply of new shoots each year. Since the quince 

 is susceptible to fire blight, care should be exercised to 

 cut out and burn affected parts whenever discovered, just 

 as in the case of the pear (196). 



198. The mature cherry tree requires little pruning if 

 it has been properly started and trained for three or four 



