Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1910-08-19
When and How to Prune Your
Orchards

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2. Quit pruning when the tree gets
older.
3. Cut off the fruit spurs from the
main branches just as soon as they
form.
4. Practice summer pruning on the
older trees.
5. Do all you can to discourage
wood growth.
DO not be afraid of taking the fruit
off the trees when you are summer
pruning. Prune down until you have
a reasonable amount of fruit left and
do not leave too many. Thin after
you prune. The pruning Is used large
ly as thinning.
You can advantageously prune the
pear tree during the first summer.
We select to the outer buds" on the
branches, so as to throw the fran e.
work of the tree outward. Save 10
inches of clean, clear stem. Select a
good, strong bud on the inside of the
middle limb, and eek constantly to
turn the growing branches outward.
SO as to make an open strong top,
through which the suns rays can
penetrate and the air circulate free
ly.
AT the third pruning commence to
remove every indication of a fruit
spur from the main stem. Keep them
OH entirely in circle reaching over
haIf the top of the tree. Prune very
hard up to the fourth year, and up to
the beginning of the growth of the
fifth year. From this time on You are
70 prune for fruit. Do nothing to &C
celerate heavy wood growth after
the four years of growth. We would
change as quickly as the season
changes from one system to another;
that is, changing from winter prun-
Ing for wood to summer pruning
for fruit. We follow this system with
pears In order to produce a hard
wood which is resistant to pear
blight.
After the change from winter to
summer pruning, do just a little
pruning during the winter season,
cutting out all the crossed branches.
but leave most of the pruning for
August. This is after the trees are
four years old.
In case of a four-year-old pear tree
which has not had the severe cut
ting back as outlined above, if it is a
well grown tree practice summer
pruning at the first opportunity.
IT it is not we'll grown or properly
formed, we would do little winter
pruning to get the branches where
they should be. A healthy pear tree
can be cut back severely, but II 1t is
diseased it is serious problem.
During the first four years we do
winter pruning altogether. We want
to produce wood. After that we want
to cease pruning as much as posi-
| Bile.
In the case of cherry trees you will
have very strong wood growth,
straight, right up, a one-year-old tree
sometimes reaching five feet in
| height. Usually it has lots of good
strong buds all the way up. It may
| have a branch or two. II 1t is a
straight switch, we cut it off "a to SO
inches from the ground. We want
the branches as far apart as possible
on account Of gumosis. II cherry
branches are all together in a case of
this kind, then the load will become
too heavy, cracking and splitting will
ject to gumosis. AS the limbs increase
in size they crowd together, splitting
and cracking.
Cut back the cherry tree as severe
ly as you do the pear tree for the
first four or five years. With cherry
trees you do heavy pruning for wood
when the leaves are off the tree,
and the last pruning is done In the
spring. Injury may happen to your
sweet cherries by freezing or thaw-
ing, in which case we let them stand
until the buds start in the spring.
Then We prune. The essential points
are:
L. Prune heavy while tree Is
! young.
2. Get good, strong, active
growth.
3. When the trees are five or
six years old change to summer prun-
ing almost the same as you do with
the pear.
A. Instead Of pruning Just be-
fore the crop is harvested, prune just
after it is harvested.
/ 10 ina aha .