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PRUNING DECIDUOUS TREES. 



Essay by R. C. Kells, of Yuba City. 



The subject of pruning has been assigned to me to be presented to 

 this Convention of Fruit Growers of California. When I look over the 

 reports of the past Conventions of California Fruit Growers I must con- 

 fess I am at a loss to know what I can present at this time that will be 

 of importance to the growers in the line of practical pruning. I think 

 we have and read too much of theoretical pruning, but perhaps there 

 may be some new planters who will expect information on this subject, 

 and for their benefit I will repeat what has been said by a number of 

 the older growers of the State; and to begin with I must say there are 

 about as many rules for pruning as there are planters. 



In the Sacramento Valley, where we have the long hot seasons, the 

 one custom has been adopted of low pruning, and this custom I may 

 say applies to all varieties of fruit trees, including citrus varieties, with 

 two objects in view, namely: first, to keep the bodies or trunks of trees 

 from sunburning; second, to lessen the expense of thinning and picking 

 the fruit. The first, however, is of much the greater importance. 



When setting out a new orchard my plan of pruning the young tree 

 from the nursery is to cut the top back to fifteen or eighteen inches; at 

 the same time examine all the roots, see that all bruised or mangled 

 roots are cut off, and also cut back the long scraggy roots that they may 

 not be placed in the ground doubled or curled up. 'This treatment 

 applies to all varieties of deciduous trees. During the first year's 

 growth we watch the new shoots as they come out, and cut off enough of 

 the new growth to only leaf e from four to six of the stronger shoots to 

 form the top of the tree, this being the first year's growth. The follow- 

 ing spring we cut this growth back one half, sometimes thinning these 

 branches down to three or four as the case may require, to make the 

 tree well balanced and of proper shape. 



The tree now starting out in its third year's growth is at a time when 

 the grower can assist nature in forming a perfect tree by thinning out 

 the new growth during the summer months — pulling off suckers that 

 may start below 7 the main branches, or limbs that were left to form the 

 tree. This is a time when good judgment must be used in pruning, 

 for the foundation of the tree is laid and we come to the point when we 

 prune for fruit. 



So far as my experience extends, the following varieties of trees will 

 stand what we call heavy pruning: the peach, apricot, Bartlett pear, 

 apple, nectarine, and most varieties of plums; the French prune and 

 cherry I would not prune heavily after the third year. My reasons for 

 pruning the first named varieties heavily, is to make a stocky growth 

 that the tree may be able to support a heavy load. Their nature is to 

 produce a long slender growth unless cut back from year to year. 



1 wish to speak of the peach more especially, for I think there are 

 more mistakes made in the pruning of the peach than of any other 

 one variety. By care and good judgment in pruning the peach, we may 

 prolong its life many years. Prune every year, cutting back and thin- 

 ning out the center, using great care not to cut out too many of the little 

 fruit spurs growing on the main branches, but cutting out the slender 

 branches of the old wood, leaving as many branches of the new growth 

 7-fg 



