The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-06-18
How Fruits Grow.
New England Farmer.

New England Farmer.
While pruning has to be modified to suit
the style of training employed with any
given plant, each species Of plant bears its
fruit in a peculiar manner. which renders
the maintenance of wood of a certain age
and character necessary in order to secure
a crop Of fruit.
In the case of the apple and the pear
the fruits are borne upon wood of last
years growth only. Heading in or short
ening each shoot of the seasons growth
therefore must be done with care in order
not to reduce the bearing wood beyond a
profitable limit. With these two plants,
however, the bearing shoots are not those
making the most vigorous growth at the
ends of the branches, but they are usually
more obscurely located on the sides of the
branches and make a much smaller growth
for which reason they have been termed
spurs"
With the peach however, it is the wood
of the last seasons growth upon which
heading in may be successfully employed
to limit the quantity of fruit borne by the
tree. Japan plums bear on both year-oid
wood and spurs; pruning may therefore
be used to thin the fruit, the same as IN
the case of the peach.
The ounce bears its fruit at the extremity
growth, in which respect it differs from
both its close relatives, the apple and the
pear; but as these shoots arise from wood
of the previous seasons growth, pruning
must be so adjusted that the fruit crop will
not be reduced.
The grape bears its fruit on shoots of the
season, which in turn usually arise from
canes of the previous years growth. Old
wood on the grape is therefore of little
value; hence the development of so many
systems of training which maintain only a
cfr, oyla ont from
which the bearing canes are renewed each
year The so-called renewal" high re-
newal," "Kniffen," "Munson" and various
overhead systems of training all possess
only economical way in which to handle
native kinds. For the fruit garden, how
ever where the vines are desired for COW
ering arbors, pruning must be modlhed SO
as to secure a screen from the new growth
as early in the season as practicable. For
this purpose a modification of the horizon
tal-arm' system of training will be found
most advantageous. BY planting the vines
closely and carrying up single trunks TO
fixed height, and from the top of the stalk
CARRYING out horizontal arms along which
spurs are maintained, a short growth
from each spur will be sufficient to give a
uniform and efficiently dense canopy or
leaves for the arbor
Raspberries and blackberries both bear
their fruits on short shoots which arise
from canes of the previous season S growth.
While these shoots are usually auxiliary
shoots the fruits are always terminal In
the case of the grape which bears its fruit
upon annual shoots arising from canes of
the previous year, the fruit is produced at
a node, and takes the place of leaf. Sew
eral fruit clusters may therefore arise from
a single shoot of the grape.
In the case of the currant and goose
berry the fruits are produced on both old
and new wood. The fruits appear as aux
Hilary growths from the shoot itself and
wood three years or more of age is unprofit
able and should be cut away.