, 1858-08-06
agriculture.
cutting-In Fruit Trees.

CutttnH-Ah fruit Trccbs
Cutting.in consists in shortening the limbs
Of trees, with view of promoting more
compact growth Of head or top, and nearer
to the ground than would otherwise be
formed. The principle involved is this: if
left without shortening, the vigor Of the tree
is barely suficient-in addition to the pro-
duction Of fruit-to force renewed growth
of wood, from but few more than the ter
rninal buds. As consequence, the limbs are
extended, but with very little thickening up
of the top: but cut back the limbs one half
or more, and three or four wood buds will
burst forth instead Of one.
It Is no new system of cuttIng.in that We
propose to introduce, but to urge the impor-
tance Of greater attention to the methods
that have long been practised by the most ex-
perienced fruit growers in all countries, to
give symmetry of form and produce fruitful
ness in their trees.
The peach seems to be almost the only tree
that receives this attention, and this is prob
ably owing to its exuberant growth, in which
the loss Of portion Of the outer limbs
are not so much missed as would be the
clipped branches Of many other Of our ia
vorite fruit or ornamental trees. 1t is the
cause Of 50 many long, spindling, unsightly
trees, without limbs or leaves to cover their
naked bodies, and swinging to and fro, the
sport of every breath Of wind that blows.
A tree, to be beautiful must be symmetrical.
Not that we would force every tree alike to
assume a certain arbitrary form, for this
would not be what we mean by symmetry I;
different varieties have their peculiar forms,
differing from one another, and yet all may
be beautiful and symmetrical, or can be made
so by proper training. There are t'oO
seasons in Oregon proper for cutting-in fruit
trees, whilst, as general rule, with few ex.
ceptions, there is but one in the Atlantic
States. This is owing TO the exceedingly
vigorous and long continued growth Of trees,
during the protracted summer of our climate.
Trees Of all descriptions in Oregon seem to
shave nothing else to do" but grow, from
March to November, and most of them
make good use of their time; for nowhere
does fruit, or do fruit trees, made such as
tonishing growth upward as here. We say
upward, because this is another popularity
Of vegetable growth in Oregon. Almost
every variety Of fruit tree seems inclined to
push the terminal bud, to the exclusion Of
all lateral or side shoots. This, with their
protracted season Of growth, causes the nu.
merOus unsightly trees everywhere seen in
the grounds Of the experienced cultivator.
In the Atlantic States, cutting.in is usually
performed in early spring, at which time the
sDOts Of last year are cut back to one,third
or one-hAlf their entire length; and this is
all they require for the season, except in q
few instances Of ofexceedingly vigorous growth,
upward and outward. But here the case is
different Trees in the nursery row not un.
frequently send their shoots upward, in
season, to the hight of six or eight feet from
the graft at the ground; and we have seen
cherry trees, that last summer, standing
singly and in open ground, made shoots of
ten and twelve feet in hight, without throw.
ing out single lateral shoot One Of these
cherry trees has been left to take its own
course unchecked the present season, and the
effect is already another advance Of the ter
minal bud, even now over two feet in length,
with but q single lateral that started out three
feet from the top-if we except short fruit
spurs and leaves, that have started out nearly
its entire length. The other trees, on the
first swelling of the bud in February, were
all, out bACkt four or Eve feet, at the hight
ut which 1t was desired they should form a
head. The effect has been, bursting forth
of fiom four to eight strong shoots, that
seem to be vicing with each other for surre.