Pruning and Thinning 271 



Pruning during the transition period should be light 

 and should consist almost entirely of thinning out, with 

 little or no heading back. The thinning out should be 

 ' confined largely to the top and ends of the branches and to 

 shoot growths of the previous season. If the tree is becom- 

 ing too thick, two- and even three-year-old branches should 

 be removed. 



Too often the small lateral limbs and fruiting wood 

 toward the center of the tree are removed, thus forcing all 

 the fruiting area toward the tip ends of the limbs. Again, 

 tops frequently become so dense that the inside spurs slough 

 off due to lack of sunlight and air. 



The fruiting period. 



All pruning during this period is to develop and main- 

 tain a liberal supply of fruiting wood, well distributed 

 throughout the entire tree. This pruning will consist 

 largely of thinning out branches in order to maintain a 

 liberal supply of functioning fruit-spurs, and in order to 

 improve the quality of the fruit produced. Weak or way- 

 ward branches should be removed. The tree should be 

 kept open and shapely and in a vigorous growing condition. 

 Regular annual pruning is essential. 



Fruit-buds. > 



Fruit-buds may be regarded as the actual fruit manu- 

 facturing machinery of a tree. In case of the apple, the 

 fruit is borne mostly on spurs which develop from lateral 

 buds on the shoots of the preceding season. In certain 

 varieties of apples, such as Jonathan, Gravenstein, New- 

 town and others, much of the first crop of fruit-buds is 

 borne terminally on shoots. Axillary buds are also borne 



