PRUNING THE DIFFERENT TREE FRUITS 



257 



(6) The Modified Leader System Is Desirable for Training 

 Sour Cherries. The amount to cut back two-year-old sour 

 cherry trees at planting time is a debatable question. In 

 some regions, especially in some southern sections, many trees 

 die if headed back at transplanting time. However, in parts 

 of Wisconsin, where a large acreage of sour cherries is grown, 



(Mich. State College) 



Fig. 92. A two-year-old Montmorency cherry tree before pruning (A), 

 and after pruning (B) ; only a few superfluous in-growing shoots have 



been removed. 



the trees do better if the scaffold limbs selected are headed 

 T3ack to about 18 inches when the trees are set. 



When the modified-leader system of training is used, four 

 or five of the strongest and best-placed branches should be 

 selected, the leader should be left, and all other branches 

 should be removed. The lowest branch is generally 20 to 24 

 inches from the ground. During the next two or three years 

 four or five additional framework branches should be selected 

 and the leader then cut back to an outward-growing branch. 



