The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1913-02-04
PRUNING FRUIT TREES
South Carolina Experiment Station
Press Bulletin No. 100.

trees. A tree can be given all the at
tention possible relative to cultivation
and fertilizer, but unless it is judi
ciously pruned the branches will be-
come thick, weaken and die. These
become the harboring places for In
sects and fungus diseases which prey
upon the tree and fruit. Even If the
branches do not die they become so
thick that the fruit is inferior IN size,
color and quality. Well pruned, low
headed trees, having the bearing
wood we'll distributed, and being stout
and stocky, are able to bear and hold
up heavy crops Of fruit, They also
facilitate spraying, thinning and har-
vesting. They are also by far more
ornamental in appearance than the
awkward, long limbed unpruned trees.
Pruning is necessary, therefore,
where the best trees and first class
fruit are desired.
To get the most satisfactory re-
suits pruning should be done every
year. BY annually thinning out
the small branches during the
early life of the tree and removing
dead branch here and stray limb
there, in after years, the tree can be
kept in good, healthy fruiting con-
~dition, and it will never be necessary
to cut out large limbs or unbalance
the tree by very heavy pruning. Prun-
ing should consist more in directing
the growth each year than by check
ing it by one heavy pruning which 1t
to make up for years of neglect. II
a tree is properly directed and shaped
when young it will never be necessary
to cut out many branches or large
limbs in later years.
Pruning should commence when the
tree is planted. When the, tree Is
planted cut back the dead and bro
ken roots to good living wood, leave
a clean smooth cut The young tree.
should be pruned back to the height
the head of the tree is to be formed,
with the methods of cultivation.
would suggest 16 to IS inches for the
peach and "a to 80 inches for the apple
and pear. If the young tree is whip
like the side buds may be allowed to
form leaves the first season to cause
it to become stout and stocky. If it
is stocky enough, all the buds may
be kept rubbed Off as they start ex-
;cept those intended to form the main
branches of the tree. 1t is common
fault to start a young tree with too
many young branches which after
wards crowd each other to such an
extent that it becomes necessary to cut
out large limbs. Three or four main
limbs, if properly placed are enough
for any. fruit tree. The main limbs
should be we'll arranged around the
tree and at slightly different heights
on the main axis. After the first sea-
sons growth all branches except
those just mentioned, should be cut
away, and these should be headed
back about half The annual prun-
ing afterwards will consist largely in
heading back the previous seasons
growth and keeping the head thinned
out. On Tie upright growing trees,
as the Kieffer pear, prune to bud
point outward so as to cause the head
to spread When the tree begins to-
bear full crops of fruit, it will not bear
a surplus amount of wood, hence very
little pruning will be necessary, except
in the case of the peach tree, which
should be thinned out and headed
back even after it is bearing full crops
of fruit. Pruning is best done when
the trees are dormant, preferably in
the spring just before the buds start.
, 1t sometimes becomes necessary to
renovate old trees which have become
choked with water sprouts and dead
limbs. The retaining process Should
take two or three years, depending up
On the condition of the tree. The
first year most of the water sprouts,
all of the dead limbs, and few Of the
worst offending branches should be re-
moved. The second year more OF the
unnecessary limbs may be taken out,
The third year the operation may be
completed. In removing large limbs,
as we'll as in cutting smaller branches,