Nov. 1, 1901.] THE TEOPICAL AGKICULTURIST. 
301 
PRUNING 
By a. Despeissis. 
In previous chapters the general principles of 
nruaine vines, and also fruit trees, have been dealt 
with In this issue the consideration of the best 
ways of training and pruning a few more of the 
fruit trees generally cultivated in our orchards is 
proceeded with. 
Pedning the Cheery. 
The instructions given about the shaping of young 
trees apply to the cherry. The stem should bt low 
and headed back to 12 to 15 inches when planting ; 
the main limbs are also cut short, as fe tree is 
very subject to sunburn. To guard against this it is 
a aood practice to pinch all side shoots not necessary 
for the extension of the tree to a pair of leaves or 
two • fruit spurs will thus in time be formed all 
alonk the lower b/anches, while these tufts of leav-es 
will afford to the branches protection against the 
^'^Cherry trees in general produce their fruit upon 
small spurs, or studs, from half-an-inch to two inches 
riength, which proceed from two, three, or four 
year old wood. New spurs will continue to shoot 
out right Tp to the extremities of the branches ; in 
the cintre of every cluster of fruit spurs there is a 
wood spnr.^hichf as it extends . each Beason, bursts 
Tnto blossom and carries the year's crop ; this should 
be remembered when pruning. Thes^ spurs will 
carry fruit for several years. 
Once the cherry tree has commenced to fruit it 
should, unlike the peach and the apricot, be very 
sparingly touched with the knife, . as it is besides 
very subject to " gumming." This peculiarity of 
the Xnt is aggravated in individuals presenting 
Sng^stems exposed to the sun on trees with many 
forked limbs, and on those which have had large 
Umhs taken off. It is found that by doing all the 
nece Bary severe cutting during the summer, and 
after the crop has been gathered, the wounds heal 
more readiTy Whenever a branch thicker than the 
Sze of thffinger is cut off it is advisable to apply to 
the fresh cut a covering of white lead, gum shellac 
varnish of hot wax or of clay. 
The Heart and Btqarreau sorts, which are sweet 
vRrieties are luxuriant growers, attaining large size, 
Ind rios^ess large drooping leaves. Mazzard stock 
are ieferred fofthese, the trees being long-lived 
larger and bealthy when planted on fairly good 
*° The Duke and Morelloss classes are slow growing 
sorts of the sour kind. The first have stiff and expect 
branches with smaller leaves, thicker and of a darker 
Sn coloi than the preceding classes ; the second 
or Kent°sh Cherries are of a bushy habit with 
smaller leaves still and more drooping and more 
smaller rpug branches must be kept far 
^nS lSrTio admit the sun and air freely amongst 
S aitfthe stem and main branches strengthened 
by^mttag hard for several seasons. If the tree 
^ a fnn luxuriantly, an occasional root pruning 
Im throw U ntofr^:it. They do best on Mahaleb 
rnplc which gives smaller trees, but is more ac- 
^ as reo-ards soil. This stock gums on 
^^erretentWe soi^ Ifit were not for the sprouting 
Iblt sour varieties on their own roots do very well, 
rwvv trees when shaped for the first few years as a 
Sf keep a l-od for'm, and bear well without 
pruning. p^^^^^^ the Filbert. 
Suckers should be carefully eradicated every 
«nrl the bushes pruned somewhat after the 
Son of the quh.ce, or^lse they will be a mass 
nf branches, and remain almost buTen Yet the 
fi herr in the majority of cases, is completely left 
filbert, in u J j f^-uitiul it requires proper 
Ind r gular p 'u'n^ne The blossoms, like those of 
fhP walnut! are moncBcious, i.e., the male flower or 
the wainui, . ^^i^ flowers are borne on the same 
trte but from dSSent buds. These fruit buds bear 
38 
in a cluster at the extremity of small twigs, and are 
produced on shoots of one year's growth, and bear 
the next. 
Unless the bushes are pruned, they bear very heavily 
one year, and remain barren several seasons to recu- 
perate. The mode of pruning consists in cutting 
back severely the first few years, so as to favour 
the growth of side shoots, which are shortened to 
prevent the whole nourishment being carried to the 
top of the branch, the consequence being that small 
shoots grow from their base, which carry fruit. By 
this method of spurring, bearing shoots are produced, 
which would otherwise have remained dormant. 
Pruning the Walnut and Chestnut. 
Much of what is said about the pruning of the fig 
applies to these trees. Their habit of growth is sym- 
metrical, and the growers will, by cutting off mis- 
placed branches, broken or dead, and by shortening 
bending limbs, do much to keep them growing sym- 
metrically. As their feeding roots are close to the 
surface, light toeing only should be done in close 
proximity to the trees. They should be trained with 
a general upright tendency, so as to interfere as 
little as possible with cultivation. Limbs branching 
low down will protect the stem from sunburn. 
Peuning the Loquat. 
The loquat, or Japanese medlar, has hitherto 
been raised from the seed as a tree suitable for 
wind breaks. The choicer varieties are, however, 
now propagated by grafting or by budding, either on its 
own roots or on the quince, to which it is botani- 
cally somewhat related. In the first instance it 
forms large trees, which , take four or five years to 
mature its fruit. In the second instance it comes 
into bearing at an earlier age. When grown for 
shelter the higher trees worked on loquat seedlings 
should be selected and trained with a stem 3 or 4 
feet high. In the second case, whether it is on its 
own or on quince roots, it should be headed lower 
down. As the tree carries permanent foliage, and 
later on heavy crops of fruit, the main limbs should 
be as strong and sturdy as possible, and trained with 
a generally upright direction. These in course of 
time, as the branches extend and carry more foliage 
and more fruit, will gradually be bent down, hence 
the importance of throwing strength and vigor into 
them at an early stage. This is done by encourag- 
ing the growth of three or four leaders, low down 
on the stem (if not grown as a wind break) ; all other 
shoots are either cut off or pinched back, and the 
young tree is subsequently shaped muclj in the 
same manner as has been explained in connection 
with the shaping and framing of young trees generally. 
The fruit bunches issue from the terminal points 
of young shoots. They bear at their base wood buds,, 
which will in growing season push out young shoots. 
These, if too numerous, should be thinned out to 
two or three only, so as to insure for each its due 
share of light, air and sun. The decaying flower 
stalka are cut off, as well as also all dead branches. 
Pruning the Fig, 
i'ig trees naturally form symmetrical heads. They 
are best shaped when young with the main arms 
arranged symmetrically round the stem. Pigs for 
table purposes are headed low, so that the fruit can 
be picked without diificulty. Pigs for drying are 
headed higher, so that the picking of the dead ripe 
and fallen fruit can be easily done over the smooth 
ground. The fig tree suckers pretty freely, and 
these should be removed in the winter time. 
Wherever the ground is rich the tree will often run 
excessively to wood, flid in that case root pruning 
will force it into bearing. Drooping branches are 
cut off, and those growing obliquely upright retained. 
Dead wood and branches that cross and interfere 
with one another are suppressed, but the end of 
the shoots should be sparingly touched with the 
pruning knife on account of the mode of bearing 
of the tree. This is as follows ;— The fruits are 
