After fruit trees come into bearing, more pruning can be given 
than in the first years after setting. 
PRUNING CHERRY—Of all fruit trees, cherries have the 
greatest amount of vitality when transplanted. Often, a good 
percentage of all unpruned cheriy trees are kil.ed, but pruning 
will reduce this great loss considerably. Cheriy trees are also 
subjected to lossés if planted at the improper time. Fall .s a good 
time to plant cherry trees. However, we specially prepare our cheriy 
trees to keep the roots well protected from diying duiing the 
spring. Avoid planting cherry trees in an advanced stage. 
1 Year old cherry trees should be reduced to 2/3 their size. 
2 or 3 Year old cherry trees are prunde by thinning out thei. 
lateral or side branches, to prevent crowded head and develep 
desicable spacing of wide single lateral branches. Cut out lateral 
bianches leaving an average of 4 to 5 branches or laterals on the 
head of the tree. 
If trimming the branches is necessary to give the tree a neat, 
well -balanced frame, these laterals shall only be shortened in 
proper proportions using sound judgment, when the buds beg n 
to swell. 
PRUNING NUTS - QUINCES 
These varieties require no pruning at time of their planting. 
PRUNING PEACHES and NECTARINES 
There is a general opinion among the public that the peach 
tree is very short lived and therefore, not worthwhile planting. 
This is decidedly wrong. The peach and nectarine trees are some 
of the most rapid growing trees and reach their ultimate height 
within 4 to 5 years if unchecked. 
Now, since peaches and nectarines only grow their fruit on 
wood that has been grown the previous year, if the tree has not 
the chance to grow young wood every year, it reaches its natural 
height within 4 to 5 years, and the tree dies or withers away in 
such a short time. 
It is absolutely essential to prune the trees radical:y every 
spring in order to obtain the necessary young wood. If this pruning 
is applied correctly, a peach tree can live from 18 to 30 yea:s and 
produce a full crop of large fine fruit every year. Such a pruning 
is neither complicated nor d'fficult to apply on dwarf peach or 
nectarine trees. It takes a courageous man to prune.a peach tree 
properly. 
The first step, which is most important, must be applied to 
all peach and nectarine fruit trees, regardless if they are dwarf 
or not, at time of planting. A one year old tree must be pruned 
back radically to about 18 to 24 inches above the graft depending 
upon whether a low or high trunk is desired. 
On 2 or 3 year old trees, no branches should remain that are 
higher than 2 or 3 feet from the ground. Young side branches 
that have been grown the previous year, should be reduced from 
8 to 15 inches. A peach or nectarine tree, pruned in this manner, 
will develop for this coming spring, the same amount of branches 
and length of the branches that were cut away. It is on this young 
wood that you will grow your fruit buds for the folldwing season. 
Bearing peach trees are pruned to keep the centers of the 
trees open and induce new shoots to grow on th main branches. 
In the pruning process, the branches are shortened by cutting them 
off above out outward-growing branches which will carry on. 
Every few years, peach trees should be given heavier pruning 
by removing sizable inside branches near the tops of the trees. 
The best time to prune is after the fruit has set and attained the 
size of a full grown cherry. One cannot harm a peach or nectarine 
tree, regardless ofhow severely it is pruned back. 
[42] 
