PRUNING THE DIFFERENT TREE FRUITS 



245 



young trees quite heavily each year in an effort to prevent this 

 breaking of limbs, but such trees become dwarfed and are late 

 in coming into bearing. Many growers prune very little, how- 

 ever, in order to get a tree large enough to bear commercial 

 crops as soon as possible. In such cases several crops might 

 be secured before a really serious blight year is encountered. 



Figure 86 shows a three-year-old pear tree before and after 

 pruning. 



With pear varieties that are very upright growers, it will 

 pay to cut back to outside buds or branches when heading is 

 practiced, in order to encourage a more spreading shape. 



(c) Bearing Trees Respond Well to a Heavier Type of 

 Pruning, The ^^set'^ of fruit, especially with some varieties 

 as Bartlett and Anjou, is often increased considerably by prac- 

 ticing heavier pruning after the trees have come into com- 

 mercial bearing. Size of fruit, likewise, is often benefited. 

 It is well to remove the fruit spurs on the lower parts of the 

 limbs near the trunk, if they have not previously been re- 

 moved, in order to prevent the entrance of pear blight at these 

 points. A certain amount of thinning out and some heading 

 back to outward growing laterals will usually be beneficial. 



With old and high pear trees making a very short growth, 

 and with numerous weak fruit spurs, a thorough thinning out 

 of many of the small branches and a moderate heading back of 

 the main limbs are desirable. The spurs on such old trees 

 normally make only a weak grow^th each year, blossom ir- 

 regularly, and often s<et , very little fruit. A thorough pruning, 

 by eliminating many of the spurs and buds while the roots 

 remain the same, results in more water and nutrients being 

 available to the remaining buds. As a result, terminal growth 

 is greater, new spurs are formed, the old spurs make a better 

 growth, the leaves about each spur become larger and greener, 

 fruit buds are formed, and more fruit is produced. No doubt 

 better cultural and fertilizer practices will also be beneficial, 

 but with these old trees great benefits are derived from a 

 thorough pruning. 



