BULLETIN" 3 2, PORTO RICO EXPERIMENT STATION" 
of every kind being allowed to develop freely. In the second row 
in contrast to the first, all uprights or suckers developing along 
the main stem were removed, thus holding the growth to the 
single original stem or trunk and developments from its laterals. 
Topping forced the 
growth of many new 
uprights or suckers. 
These were removed 
from time to time, 
thus holding the 
growth to the single - 
topped stem and 
branches developing 
from the laterals. 
The first pruning 
was given in Decem- 
ber, 1910. During 
the next six years the 
suckers were removed 
from the trees from 
3 to 5 times annually, 
and during the fol- 
lowing five years 
from 2 to 3 times 
annually. 
The trees w ere 
young when they 
were topped and 
therefore well sup- 
plied with primary 
laterals. Figure 2 
shows the condition 
of one of the better 
developed trees sev- 
eral months before 
the first priming. 
This tree was 8 feet 
high and carried 42 
lateral branches, the 
middle ones being 
more than 3 feet 
long. Some other 
trees had developed 
less rapidly and at 
the time of the first 
priming lacked the necessary height for topping. These were subse- 
quently topped as their growth permitted. 
EFFECT OF TOPPING AND REMOVAL OF SUCKERS 
The appearance of the topped trees at four years after topping is 
shown in Figures 3 and 4. The dense mass of foliage is attractive 
to the eye. The picking of the crop is greatly facilitated through 
the production of the fruit on low branches within easy reach of the 
pickers. 
Fig. 2. — Coffee tree which carried 42 branches and more 
than 1,500 cherries. Photographed in September, 1910, 
prior to pruning 
