The Kennewick courier. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1905-1914, 1913-04-11
FRUIT BUDS

AT one OF our horticultural meet.
ings the question was asked, I
think by Prof. Morris, "How
many can tell the position, shape
etc., of the fruit buds of the various
kinds of fruits raised in the Kenne-
wick valley?"
confess that / was puzzled for
the time and from the general ex-
preston of the fruit growers pres
ent, I judge that the same was true
of many others.
Since then / have been keeping
my eyes open somewhat wider.
Most OF US, if we studied botany at
all, studied it in the old impractical
way, which though most interest
ing to me, at least left me with
scant knowledge of many things I
should have been taught.
1t goes without saying that every
fruit grower should have a general
knowledge of the location of the
fruit buds of the fruits he is grow
ing that he may prune to best ad-
vantage and develop the fruiting
wood so that the tree or plant may
bear to its fullest capacity. Not
long ago I visited an orchard where
it seemed that the owner had been
pruning away the fruit spurs from
his apple trees. What his theory
was [ do not know. 1t may have
been ignorance.
| condense the following from an
excellent article by Prof. Slohl in
The Ranch" of April list: There
are two kinds of buds on all of our
fruiting plants-the leaf buds which
produce both leaves and branches
and the fruit buds which produce
the flower and fruit. These buds
differ in size and shape. In gen.
eral the fruit buds are roundish in
shape and larger than the leaf buds.
This is very noticeable din the late
winter and early spring, as they
usually swell and show signs of
opening before the leaf buds.
With some fruits the buds are
produced on spurs or short fruiting
twigs springing from the older
branches. While with others they
are borne directly on the previous
seasons growth. The fruit of the
apple, pear, cherry and plum is
usually produced on fruit spurs
while that of the peach is produced
on the young wood.
Apple and pear bear from their
fruit buds on the tip of the spur and
they are spoken of as terminal buds.
The cherry and most varieties OF
plum produce their fruit buds ter
minally but on the sides of the spur.
The fruit of the grape is borne
on growing shoots of the season
which arise from last years wood
The buds of the cane fruits, such as
the raspberry, also produce summer
shoots from the previous season.
growth which bear flowers and fruit
the same season.o
Professor L. H. Bailey in his
Pruning Book gives the following
synopsis of the positions of fruit
buds:
l Flowers produced Immediately
from distinguishable winter buds:
(a) Buds lateral, and no spurs
Peach, almond (mostly,) japanese
plum, Gin part) apricot Gin part)
filbert, hazel.
(b) Buds terminal, for the most
part on spurs: Apple, pear, cherry
plum (mostly), almond Gin part)
current Gin part), gooseberry.
2 Flowers on shoots of the season:
(c) observation-disclosures in early
spring on the end of very short
shoot which arises from a winter
bud: Ounce, medlar, hickory, wal
nut.
I'D Terminal or approximately
80, on lateral summer shoots: rasp-
berry, dewberry, blackberry, orar ge.
(e) Lateral, on strong shoots Cor
on canes): Grape, chestnut, per