70 PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OF PRUNING 



range of development, the majority being approximately 

 the same, with early blooming and fruiting varieties in 

 the lead, but not so markedly as among the plums. 



68. When fruit buds may be recognized. — Attempts to 

 determine the approximate date when fruit buds may be 

 distinguished by the naked eye show that observers 

 should be guided partly by the positions in which such 

 buds normally appear. Peach and plum fruit buds may 

 be easily found in early fall, so may cherries, partly by 

 position, partl}^ by their larger size. With apple and pear 

 the feat is less easy. Increased size is not pronounced 

 enough until late November or early December; how- 

 ever, a pocket lens which magnifies 10 or 15 times will 

 help locate such buds during October. 



69. Summaryand conclusions. — ^1. Oldenburg apple fruit 

 buds began to form in late June. Several other varieties 

 showed similar development; a large majority of the fruit 

 buds formed in July, though the initial stages in many 

 cases appeared late into the summer. Development con- 

 tinued through summer and fall with completion of flower 

 parts by about November 1. Development through the 

 winter was mostly microscopic. In late February and 

 early March important development occurred in the es- 

 sential organs prior to blossoming. 



2. Kieffer pear fruit buds did not begin to differentiate 

 until after mid-Jul)^ Initial flower parts appeared in 

 yVugust. Development was rapid during the fall up to 

 mid-November when the flower buds in the cluster were 

 fairly well advanced. Unimportant changes occurred 

 during the winter. In late February and early March, 

 changes were similar to those in the apple. 



3. Luster peach fruit buds began to form the first week 

 in August. In about three months they were ready for 

 wintering. After November 1 no noticeable change oc- 

 curred until February, though cytological changes were 



