PRUNING TRINCIPLES 101 



what they may ; let us consider only tlie pruning. In this 

 orchard it is evident that the first aim of pruning must be 

 to overcome the neglect rather than directly to establish 

 fruit bearing. Heavy pruning may be necessary and much 

 new wood may be produced (81, 83, 88), and the tree may 

 take one or perhaps several years to adjust itself to the new 

 order, but the rational treatment that should have been given 

 while the trees were young will win in time. All will be 

 lost, however, if the grower lets up, for the orchard will 

 quickly return to its former undesirable condition. 



This last statement shows why orchards severely pruned 

 only once in several )'ears are so notoriously barren. Thev 

 are literally prevented from estaljlishing the bearing habit 

 by being thrown out and kuyit out of balance. Annual good 

 care is necessary to secure good crops. Were the wholesale 

 pruning spread out, then, over several years, a little and 

 often an ec|ual total amount of wood miglit have been re- 

 moved and yet the trees nn'ght have been l)rought into l>ear- 

 ing and kept actively fruitful. 



One of the most common forms of disturbance of equili- 

 brium is over-bearing. It is almost inwarialih- succeeded a 

 year later by the reverse condition. So comnmn is this 

 phenomenon that we have "full years" and "oiT vears." 

 Extremes tend to follow each otlier until the alternate ^•ear 

 bearing habit becomes established, perha]is so firmly that it 

 cannot be corrected, at least in old trees. Since the haljit 

 is most pronounced in long-lived plants, such as apple and 

 pear, the conclusion seems safe that the habit started during 

 the early years of the trees, and has been emphasized mure 

 and more as the trees grew older. Though pruning may 

 have some effect in changing such a condition, more es- 

 pecially as affected by principle Xo. 18, it is only one of the 

 factors that may be influential. 



It is well understood that a check to growth favors fruit 

 bearing, but this bearing habit may easily be lost unless 

 eft'orts are made to keep it up. WHiile slow-growing and 



