THE LIVING PLANT 29 



only to thin out branches to admit light, but also to leave 

 a proper amount of the lateral growth so distributed as to 

 bear the crop in the best way. 



Fruit-buds are sometimes borne on spurs. A spur is merely 

 a very short condensed branch. Spurs may live to bear one 

 crop only as in the almond, or may live for a few years as in 

 the apricot, or may live for a long time as in the apple. In 

 trees which bear fruit on spurs, it is very important in 

 pruning to preserve the spurs. This is especially true of the 

 apple and pear. 



The following shows the way in which fruit-buds are borne 

 on several kinds of trees: 



SPECIES OF TREES How FRUIT-BUDS ARE BORNE 



Peach On laterals 



European plums Mostly on spurs 



Japanese plums On spurs and on laterals 



Almond Mostly on spurs 



Cherry On spurs 



Apricot On spurs and on laterals 



Apple On spurs entirely, except in some of 



the western states where the ter- 

 minal buds also frequently bear 

 fruit 

 Pear Same as for the apple 



An apple spur does not bear fruits annually but only every 

 other year (Fig. 17). If it bears a fruit on its terminal bud 

 in 1922, it forms a leaf-bud on the side which continues the 

 growth of the spur in 1923. In 1923 a fruit-bud is formed on 

 the end of the spur which bears a fruit in 1924. Usually some 

 of the spurs bear fruit one year and others the next, so that a 

 crop is obtained every year, but many times all the spurs 

 bear fruit the same year and not the next, in which case a 

 crop is obtained every other year only. Some trees are more 

 likely to have this habit of alternate bearing than others, but 

 frequently unusual conditions are responsible for it. It is 

 difficult to get trees out of the habit when once it is estab- 



