192 



STATE BOARD OF HORTICULTUEE. 



behold (to a "tenderfoot") is not fruitful, but consists chiefly 

 of rank-growing, vertical leaders, commonly called suckers. 

 These suckers are not supplied with fruit spurs, and are as 

 worthless as so much bamboo. Even did they bear fruit, it 

 would be almost inaccessible, and expensive to pick. The 

 lower limbs, naturally the most fruitful, are robbed of sap 

 bj^ the superior drawing powers of the top, and fail to do their 

 duty. 



To overcome these difficulties the "open center" style of 

 pruning has been tried, and has given good results. By 



Skeleton sketch of a cross-section of an open-center tree. 

 indicate wliere to cut limbs. 



Hair lines 



eliminating the top entirely, the sap is thrown into the lower 

 branches. These limbs being horizontal rather than vertical, 

 and more or less bent,' elaborate or digest the sap and produce 

 heavy crops of good-sized fruit. This fruit, moreover, is within 

 reach from the ground and can be economically picked. 

 When the tree is once adapted to this form, the regular prun- 

 ing is more easily and quickly performed, the number of limbs 

 to be cut being greatly reduced, and all being within reach 

 from the ground. 



An explanation of the details of this system should prop- 

 erly come under two heads: "Pruning of young trees," and 



