188 STATE BOARD OF HORTICULTURE. 



crops, the fruit runs largely to culls, and often fails to come 

 to a profitable size. The tree, with its great load of fruit grow- 

 ing at the ends of long limbs, is at the mercy of the winds, and 

 is often split and ruined by the mere weight of its burden. 

 Therefore, it may be true that the lemon tree left to itself will 

 produce heavily, but it is generally recognized that to produce 

 the largest per cent of good-sized and fancy lemons the tree 

 must be intelligently pruned. 



In the method of pruning given in the sketch the main object 

 has been to shorten back and strengthen the scaffold or main 

 limbs, so that they will carry their load nearer the center of 

 the tree and be stocky and stiff enough to withstand strong 

 winds without swaying and bruising the fruit. This method, 

 properly carried out, has produced good results. It has, how- 

 ever, caused a tendency in the tree to form too thick and dense 

 a head; a tendency very hard to combat. Even when carefully 

 thinned out, trees shortened back in this way grow faster in 

 their tops than in their lateral branches; on the principle that 

 the sap flows most freely in vertical lines. The result is apt 

 to be a tree high and all top; and this top, while beautiful to 

 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 

 by 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 

 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 properly 

 come under two heads: "the pruning of young trees," and 



