ORCHARD NOTES. 63 



near the body of the tree, rather than far out on the limbs. 

 This, in the case of plums and other tender wooded plants, is an 

 important consideration. 



Fruit bearing is determined more by habitual performance, 

 and by the condition of the plant, than by the kind and extent of 

 pruning. In other words, it is to a certain extent an individual 

 characteristic, as pointed out on page 56. Pruning, however, 

 may be made a means of thinning the fruit, and thus improving 

 both the size and quality of that which remains, by removing 

 superfluous shoots upon which fruit buds are borne. 



But here it is important that the operator should know the 

 manner in which the plant bears its flower buds. Heading back 

 the annual growth thins peaches, quinces, raspberries, black- 

 berries, black currants, and to a certain extent red and white 

 currants and grapes, all of which develop flower buds on the 

 wood of the last season. With the apple, pear and plum, which 

 produce fruit on spurs or miniature branches, on wood of more 

 than one season's growth, older limbs must, of course, be 

 removed in order to effect the desired thinning. 



Pruning, by thinning the fruit, may have a very important, 

 though indirect, effect in controlling the bearing year of plants. 

 If an individual fruit spur be carefully studied it will be seen 

 that there is usually an alternation in fruit bearing, for the rea- 

 son that demands made by the fruit are so great that the fruit 

 bud cannot develop the same year. In the bearing year the leaf 

 bud develops to continue the spur the following year, and in the 

 following or barren year, the fruit bud is again developed for 

 the succeeding year. Fruit bearing on alternate years is, then, 

 largely a question of food supply. To make a tree bear every 

 year it is necessary either to supply more food material or to 

 remove a portion of the fruit. The latter alternative may be 

 accomplished by pruning. 



Since in large fruits one spur usually bears one fruit, the 

 alternate bearing of individual spurs will continue, and it will 

 be necessary to remove all of the fruit from individual spurs, 

 thereby allowing a portion of the spurs to bear one year and 

 others the next. It is doubtful, however, if any amount of thin- 

 ning can produce an annual bearing habit unless the trees 

 receive other necessary good care. It is probable that the better 



