Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1914-02-27
Forming the Head

his particular fancy. A low headed
tree, one headed from eighteen to
"a inches from the ground, with from
three to five scaffold limbs, is generally
desirable. The number of limbs will de-
pend to quite an extent upon their plac-
ing. 1t is best to have these limbs start
out at slightly different heights from
the ground as well as to have them
equally spaced around the trunk. All
undesirable limbs should be removed
from the young tree as soon as possible.
For the first two or three years the tree
will need to be pruned back rather
severely, cutting off, in some cases. as
much as three-fourths Of the last years
growth. 1t will also be necessary to do
some thinning out each season. No rule
can be given for this, as it will depend
entirely upon the Individual tree. 1t is
well to remember that in pruning trees
which make either an extremely up
right growth and dense head or those
which make more spreading or open
head, such as we find in the Rome and
Jonathan, that the terminal bud which
is left is going to produce the strongest
branch from that limb the following
season. Now, if the tree is too dense,
this habit Of growth can be corrected
to certain extent by pruning SO that
the next years branches will come
from an outside bud. If you cut very
close to the terminal bud, however, the
branch will grow almost upright and
thus not open the top to any extent,
while if you leave an inch or so ~bove
the bud, or even another bud above the
one which you wish to make the per-
manent branch, it will start out lnore
horizontal and thus open the head. If
this extra bud is left it is with the idea
following summer as soon as some
growth has been made. If the tree nat
urally makes rather open head you
should cut the inside bud.
After the tree becomes four or five
years Of age the heading back, if it has
been done regularly, ought to cause, in
addition to the regular side branches,
some fruit spurs lower down in the
tree. II the tree has not been headed
back to any extent up to this time the
limbs are apt to be so tall that it will
be hard to make the branches and fruit
spurs push low down in the tree. They
are more apt to form shortly below
where the limb was pruned, giving a
crows nest" effect Such tree as
this should perhaps better be pruned
back to some good side branch coming
out of the two-year-old wood This
may require rather severe pruning, but
it will be the making of a good tree,
whereas if only the young growth were
topped back the main limbs would al
ways be too tall and bare. The trees
shown in Figs. 3 and would be more
desirable if the main limbs had spurs
on them, although by close examination
quite few short spurs can be seen.
Pruning Old Trees
In pruning old or neglected trees it
is quite often advisable to extend the
work over several years as a very
severe pruning of such trees all at once
is apt to throw them out of balance and
cause the production of large number
of water sprouts. Whenever possible,
always prune back large limbs to a side
branch. In taking out or pruning back
large limbs be sure to cut them off
even with the limb to which they were
attached as thew will hnal rnnrn rnad