PRUNING THE DIFFERENT TREE FRUITS 261 



back of the terminals and laterals in addition to cutting back 

 the main limbs to outward growing branches. 



The European plums should be thinned out by removing 

 some of the small branches and by heading back the main 

 limbs lightly to outward- 

 growing branches (Fig. 

 94) . After these trees have 

 become quite old and have 

 borne many crops, ter- 

 minal growth is usually 

 short and spur growth 

 very weak unless heavy 

 pruning, fertilization, and 

 good soil management are 

 practiced. With such trees 

 a thorough thinning of 

 the smallj thickly spurred 

 branches should be made 

 and the lower limbs, as 

 well as the tops of the 

 main limbs, should be 

 thinned out and shortened 

 back to healthy lateral 

 branches (Figs. 95 and 

 96). This heavier prun- 

 ing will admit more light, 

 invigorate the old spurs, 

 cause a better set of fruit, 

 and increase terminal 

 -growth so that new spurs 

 will be formed. 



Fig. 95. The ends of a lateral branch 

 on an old plum tree. The spurs are very 

 weak; very little terminal or spur 

 growth is being made. Increased prun- 

 ing, cultivation and fertilization of the 

 soil would promote growth and fruit 

 production. 



The Apricot 



The fruit-bearing habit of the apricot is in general quite 

 similar to that of Japanese plums. Much of the fruit is borne 



