that picking would be expensive. All cuts of any size should be painted
to prevent the wood from checking.



Pruning Cherries.



I have cherry trees in their third season which have been given the
usual winter pruning. The trees are putting forth a great many more
branches than are required, and naturally many of the branches are
growing across the tree. In cutting these extra branches, I am informed
that there is a way to trim them so that they will eventually form fruit
spurs. I had an idea that in order to do this it would be well to cut
about one inch from the main branch. Some one has told me that this
would merely cause the little branch to sprout again.

Cherry shoots which are not required or desired for branch-forming can
be transferred into fruit spurs, if the tree is of bearing age, by
shortening them in. Do not, however, cut at an arbitrary distance of one
inch from the starting point, but rather save one or two buds at
whatever distance from the starting point these may be growing. If the
tree is too young to bear, only growth shoots may appear from these
buds, but they are likely to be short and will support fruit spurs
later. This practice should not be carried to excess or you will have
too many small shoots which will not get light enough to bear good
fruit, even if fruit spurs should appear.