PRUNING APPLE 
The apple bears on “spurs” and this 
fruit-bearing wood must be encouraged 
and preserved. 
The best form or shape is the Modi¬ 
fied Leader Type, which has more and 
better fruiting wood, is likely to bear 
younger, avoid weak crotches and has 
well-spaced branches and a low, 
spreading top. The training to this 
type is as follows: 
If the tree you plant is a “whip” 
(with no side branches), the only 
pruning is to cut off the top 28 to 30 
inches from the ground. This is to re¬ 
store the balance between the top and 
the root system since a part of the 
roots may have been lost in digging 
and the small fibrous roots have to 
form again from the larger roots. 
Assuming that a whip has been 
planted, during the first summer pick 
out the branches you want to keep and 
pinch back the others. This will cause 
the selected branches to make a better 
growth. 
At the end of the first growing sea¬ 
son, before growth starts in the spring 
it will be necessary to cut off close to 
the trunk all the branches except those 
selected to form the framework of your 
P RUNING is the removal from a 
plant of the part or parts which 
are undesirable or superfluous, and 
the object is to improve results or 
to make them more certain. Nature’s 
purpose is the production of a large 
number of seed, but the gardener 
wants quality fruit. 
The first thing to develop is a good 
framework to carry a load of fruit 
and to make it easiest to spray and 
harvest. One must picture in advance 
what one wants to accomplish. 
HOW TO PRUNE—Make all cuts 
smooth, close to the trunk or branch, 
or close to a bud. 
TREATING WOUNDS—The gen¬ 
eral practice has been to paint 
wounds over two inches in diameter 
with a paint of pure white lead and 
pure linseed oil. Some use creosote, 
a very thin coating, over the center, 
but this must not be allowed to touch 
the young wood or young bark. Some 
recommend Sodium Silicate (“water 
glass”). 
spaced. Assuming that you select three 
branches, the highest would be about 
two feet above the ground and the low¬ 
est branch about a foot. Every three or 
four weeks during the first summer, 
pinch off the tip ends of all the other 
branches. If these are very numerous, 
some of them may be cut off close to 
the trunk. If this pinching is done, no 
winter pruning will be necessary. 
During the second summer select two 
or three shoots growing outward, not 
upright, on the main branches! and 
pinch back the others. 
During the third summer, less pinch¬ 
ing back is required, and during the 
fourth season practically none is neces¬ 
sary. All that is needed can be done in 
the winter pruning. 
The result should be a tree low¬ 
headed, spreading, with a well-balanced 
frame-work that will produce large 
crops of quality fruit and come into 
bearing young. 
As the trees get older it will be nec¬ 
essary to prune the tops more heavily 
in late spring (some growers delay this 
pruning until the trees are in full 
bloom). If the twig and limb growth 
lower down in the tree begins to die 
out it indicates that the centers and 
top are not open enough. If these twigs 
and limbs in the lower part of the tree 
develop a long growth it shows the top 
and centers are too open. 
tree. Then shorten the leader a little 
and also any side branches that are 
too long or unequal in length. 
If you plant a well-branched tree it 
will be necessary to remove all but 3 to 
5 side branches, selecting those well 
distributed about the trunk and spaced 
6 to 8 inches apart. Also leave one 
branch growing from the top which 
will be the leader. This should be 
shortened a little and the side branches 
selected also cut back one-third to one- 
half their length. 
The fourth season two or three more 
side branches should be 
selected from the central 
leader and these may be 
headed back if they 
threaten to overshadow 
the lower limbs. When 
you have sufficient side 
branches, probably about 
six, the leader should be 
cut off just about the top 
side branch. 
Prom then on pruning 
should be as little as is 
necessary for the proper 
spacing of framework 
branches and keeping 
them in proper propor¬ 
tion. It will be confined to 
removal of branches or 
shoots, or heading them 
back if out of proportion 
to other branches. 
PRUNING PEAR 
The pear also bears 
fruit like the apple, on 
“spurs,” and is pruned 
much the same. Most va¬ 
rieties, however, tend to 
grow in an upright form 
and are usually headed 
lower. Light pruning is 
the rule and cuts should 
be made above outside 
buds whenever possible. 
Heavy pruning induces 
young growth, which is 
more susceptible to 
blight. 
PRUNING PLUM 
Plum bears partly on 
spurs and partly on last 
season’s growth. 
Some growers at plant¬ 
ing time prune the same 
as with peach; others, 
when setting branched 
one or two-year-olds, se¬ 
lect three to five branches, 
cut them back one-third to one-half 
and head back the leader propor¬ 
tionally. 
PRUNING PEACH 
The fruit is borne on last year’s 
wood. After the tree is planted, cut off 
the top 18 to 24 inches above the 
ground and cut off any side branches 
about an inch from the trunk, leaving 
one or two good buds. 
During the first season when the 
growth is four to six inches long, 
choose three to five side branches on 
different sides of the trunk and well 
PRUNING CHERRY 
The fruit is borne largely on spurs, 
but also from lateral buds on last 
season’s growth. 
One-year Sweet Cherry are “whips” 
and when transplanted, the top is cut 
off close to a bud 2% to 3 feet from 
the ground. 
Two-year Sweet Cherry and both 
one and two-year Sour Cherry are 
branched and when pruned after plant¬ 
ing, from three to seven side branches 
may be left, selecting those that are 
well spaced and on different sides of 
the trunk. 
Prom then on little 
pruning is required. It 
may be necessary to re¬ 
move some branches that 
cross, or some that grow 
back into the trunk, or 
some that are too close, 
or to thin out the top be¬ 
fore the branches be¬ 
come so thick that they 
shade and kill out the 
lower wood. It is desir¬ 
able to encourage fruit¬ 
ing in the lower part of 
the tree. Heavy pruning 
can be avoided by doing 
a little every year as 
needed. 
An 8-year-old Neosho Delieious in the orehard of R. S. Ilommel, 
Knoxville, Tenn. 
Mr, Hommel has pur¬ 
chased twenty-eight or¬ 
ders of Neosho trees, 
amounting to $1,156.00, 
during the past fifteen 
years. He writes us as 
follows: 
"E very tree in my 
orchard is a picture, and 
I am everlastingly grate¬ 
ful that the trees in ‘Elk¬ 
in o n t Orchards’ came 
from Neosho Nurseries. I 
cannot recommend too 
highly your stock to any¬ 
one who is anticipating 
purchasing apple trees or 
any other fruit.” 
(Signed) R. S. Hommel, 
“Elkmont Orchards,” 
Knoxville, Tenn. 
October 7, 1934. 
