Pruning Mature Trees. 13 
both terminal and axillary buds, the terminal with few exceptions 
being a branch bud and those developed in the axils of the leaves 
mostly fruit buds. Fruit buds are also found as axillary buds near 
the base of the stronger growing new wood. The cherry, then, 
has a fruiting habit which would indicate that the tree will stand 
only moderate pruning. Trees overpruned produce an excess of 
strong, new wood with few fruit buds. In neglected trees the spurs 
become weak and spindling from constant bearing; the flowers are 
borne singly in the buds, when they should be in pairs or triplets, 
and the tree produces a large number of medium-sized fruits. 
The manner of pruning will depend somewhat on the variety, 
but the general plan should be to keep the fruiting area of the tree 
as near the ground as possible; to shade the trunk, to prevent sun- 
scald, and to encourage the growth of fruiting wood throughout 
the entire top. The sweet and semi-sweet varieties are upright 
growers and will need some heading in to keep them within bounds. 
The rapid growth forced by pruning must be checked by careful 
watering. Unless this precaution is heeded immature growth will 
result and, young trees especially, may be killed outright during 
severe winters. Like the Anjou pear, some of the cherries produce 
an excess of weak fruit buds that fail to set fruit. When this is 
found to be the case it is a good sign that the tree is not being 
pruned as severely as it should be. Heavy pruning during the dor¬ 
mant season will often correct the fault. On the contrary, lack of 
bloom is generally due to excessive pruning or overwatering. Oc¬ 
casionally we find a variety where this fault is characteristic, but 
it may generally be overcome by proper handling. 
PRUNING THE PEACH. 
There is probably no fruit tree that gives the careful, observ¬ 
ing pruner as much pleasure in pruning as does the peach. Results 
soon indicate whether the pruning is right or wrong, for no fruit 
tree will suffer more from neglect, and none respond more promptly 
to careful treatment. This prompt response, so plainly indicated, 
lends not a little inspiration toward the proper training and care 
of the peach orchard, and it is safe to say that, largely on this ac¬ 
count, no fruit tree is better pruned than is the peach in our recog¬ 
nized peach sections. The practice is simple, and lack of courage 
is more often responsible for failure rather than complicated prin¬ 
ciples. As mentioned before, the peach develops its fruit buds in 
the axils of the leaves, and the fruit is borne on one-year-old wood; 
a system of fruit bearing that makes severe pruning a prerequisite 
to successful peach growing. 
In pruning the peach the object of the pruner should be to cut 
out enough wood to force good, strong growth each year; to re- 
