— 24 — 
W. H. Aiken, of Wrights, gives the following rules for training the 
young tree: 
“Cut back the trees after planting to eighteen inches from the ground, 
and shade on south side by some convenient shade. Three or four buds 
should be allowed to grow at the top, and the terminal buds of those 
below pinched back after they have grown out a little, so that the buds 
will put out leaves and shade the stalk the first year. The second year 
remove them and cut back the limbs to a foot in length; the third, two 
feet, etc., the object in view being to shape a handsome tree with strength 
and bearing space, which can be attained only by low training and 
intelligent pruning. 
“After about six years of age, when in full bearing, the tree does not 
need cutting back as much as it does thinning out of cross limbs, if any, 
and pruning out unfruitful wood. The sprags or small twigs in body of 
the French prune tree should be cut back to one or two fruit buds, so 
that the fruit may be large. Some, however, advise the removal of 
all such sprags, as the fruit on them is small at the best. 
“Tt is important in pruning to select buds on the upper side of limbs, 
as they will have a greater weight-bearing power than buds forming 
branches from under side of boughs. Summer pruning is not advisable. 
A full season’s growth properly pruned back in the winter, and trained © 
low so that the branches take a natural upward and oblique direction, 
will shape a tree that will be strong and broad enough to live long and 
be fruitful. 
“My idea of pruning the prune tree is to make a handsome tree with 
plenty of limbs, and prune it back so that it will give the limbs great 
strength and bearing space. In that way you can raise a large amount 
of good plums or prunes. The tree should not be thinned out much 
unless. the limbs cross, because when they begin to bear the tree opens 
very nicely. I have eight-year old French prune trees, and, though 
they didn’t average it, many of them had eight hundred pounds of 
French prunes on this year, without much affecting the form or shape 
of the tree. They were so pruned and so strong, and with such a broad 
bearing space, that they bore that amount of prunes and very easily, 
although it has been a dry year, and they were not quite as large as 
they would have been if there had been a little more moisture. I think 
the great mistake in raising the prune is leaving too few limbs, say one 
limb up in the air, and the other one in another direction, like two 
arms. On such a tree you can raise very little fruit, and it would be 
of very little profit. Iam of the opinion, too, that this pruning should 
go on each year and give a fine form and strength and bearing space, 
and when the tree bears and gets to be over six years old, and is in 
good bearing, you don’t need so much pruning back. Indeed, I think 
when the tree is eight, or nine, or ten years old, it does not need much, 
if any, pruning back; of course, take out the old limbs to keep it in good 
form or shape.” 
Low training and little pruning after the fourth year have grown in 
favor of late, and are the systems which have the largest support 
among prune growers. The work of pruning should be commenced as 
soon as the sap stops flowing, which will depend upon the season, but 
as soon as the green leaves are gone, and no danger is to be apprehended 
from “bleeding,” pruning may be advantageously begun. 
