PRUNING YOUNG TREES 



211 



formed to advantage. Those shoots that are making such 

 growth should be pinched back, provided this pruning 

 can be done not later than the middle of July and pref- 

 erably in June. Such laterals should be cut back to 

 stubs from 8 to 15 inches long, depending, of course, up- 

 on the vigor of the 

 branch. One may make 

 the mistake, however, 

 of pinching them back 

 so hard as to force the 

 new laterals too near 

 the main crotch, and 

 thus make a very close, 

 heavy crotch which 

 will pile up in years to 

 come. 



170. The second 

 spring, unless the start 

 was made the first year, 

 one should choose defi- 

 nitely the shape of the 

 tree to be grown ; either 

 the open, the leader, or 

 the modified leader 

 tree. If the tree was 

 summer-pruned the 

 previous season, that 

 question should have 

 been settled at the time 

 of pruning. If the 

 leader or the modified 

 leader is the type, choose one branch to maintain the lead 

 and prune this in such a way that it may maintain such 

 a lead. If the open tree has been decided upon, choose 

 the four or five branches, spaced as far apart as possible, 

 and cut these back according to their strength, cutting 

 the strongest branches the most and the weakest ones 



FIG. 175— FRUIT SPURS FORM ON LAST 

 YEAR'S SHOOTS 

 On this Italian Prune branch the main stein 

 from ti to t is three years old. T\^■o years ago 

 three shoots, b 1o c and two fruit spurs, 6, b, 

 were formed. Last year three shoots, c, d, 

 developed from the terminal buds of the 

 preceding year's gro\\th and many fruit spurs 

 sprang from the lateral buds. The lateral 

 buds on these fruit spurs are fruit buds; the 

 terminal ones leaf buds. 



