26 BULLETIN" 1477, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
crop is light often results in the basal section of the branch being barren the 
following year, although the remainder of it is supplied with spurlike twigs 
which bear heavily when 1 year old. If the tree is bearing a heavy crop 
many spurlike twigs as well as spurs die after the fruit harvest, and if the 
tree's vigor has in some way been reduced more spurs will be lost than other- 
wise. New spurs do not appear along the older branches but only on the new 
wood, and new twigs seldom grow from older branches except as a result of 
pruning. 
Fruit is borne usually on leafless spurs, although the longer and more vig- 
orous spurs or spurlike twigs which are making terminal growth produce good 
crops at leafless nodes near the base, as do some of the shorter 1-year-old shoots 
which occasionally appear along the body branches of trees which have been 
headed back. The tendency of the variety is to bear fruit on spurs of all ages 
and at leafless nodes of the short twigs which grow in place of spurs on large 
1-year-old shoots, but seldom at nodes of long slender twigs or on large 1-year 
shoots. 
Trees lightly pruned or not pruned at all produce spurs along all terminal 
branches, but cease twig growth almost entirely. After a few years the spurs 
and twigs gradually die out, leaving the tree very barren and unproductive. 
Where regularly and heavily headed back, the new growth is often slender and 
most of it confined to points near where branches were removed in pruning. 
Many spurs on 2 and 3 year wood of such trees soon die out, like the older 
spurs and twigs of unpruned trees, if the part of the tree on which they grew 
is not above normal in vigor. Therefore, regular and heavy cutting back as well 
as too little pruning often results in reducing the fruit-bearing wood. 
Pruning to develop a good number of branches, removing the more slender 
ones which are barren of spurs, and moderately cutting back new branches to 
promote the development and maintenance of thrifty spurs and twigs should 
give the best returns in fruit. Care must be taken to prevent breaking spurs 
when harvesting the fruit and in pruning, as new spurs seldom replace those 
which have been removed. 
GRAND DUKE 
Tree upright spreading, vigorous, open; branches freely, making but few 
large branches. It is inclined to produce many small fruiting branches and 
twigs. Although many of these remain very short, often only spurs if the trees 
are not pruned, they quickly grow to twigs on cut-back branches which are 
given light. The fruiting section of the twigs is inclined to be barren after 
the fruit harvest, because of the strong tendency to bear fruit at leafless 
nodes. 
After the 1-year-old wood is cut back many twigs are produced along the 
portion remaining, and under favorable conditions some grow from spurs of 
wood a year or two older. New growth of twigs usually takes place at 
the terminal bud if the twig or branch is not cut back. As the fruiting nodes 
of the twig remain barren after the fruit ripens, the twig lengthens but re- 
mains slender and is often barren except for the 1-year-old portion. Short 
lateral twigs appear at some nodes of 1-year-old wood which are not bearing 
fruit ; and although many of these die during their second or third summer, if 
they bear fruit, a few of the larger ones increase in length and remain typical 
twigs. These are always well out on twigs that are not cut back or near the 
stub of a cut-back twig. Well down on the 1-year-old shoots any twigs which 
appear are short and many die after fruiting, as short twigs often bear 
heavily and practically all fruiting nodes of 1-year-old wood are leafless and 
barren after fruiting. This often leaves a large part of the branch barren 
after the fruit harvest (pi. 24, A). 
In the cooler coastal region, trees which have not been headed back each 
winter do not make a thrifty wood growth. All but a short terminal section 
of the twig is barren, and many entire twigs are lost after a heavy crop of 
fruit is borne. 
In regions where the summer temperatures are high, twigs live for many 
years ; but if the trees are not irrigated the cutting back of much of the 
1-year-old wood throughout the tree is necessary to produce the desired twig 
growth (pi. 24, B). Very few twigs, but spurs instead, are produced after a 
year or two if the trees are pruned very lightly or not at all, and the terminal 
growth of even the larger branches is short. If pruning to induce wood growth 
is not resumed, spurs only will be found even at most terminals (pi. 25, A). 
