Annual report of the Secretary of the State Board of Agriculture of the State of Michigan .. (1862-) (19179173088)

Title: Annual report of the Secretary of the State Board of Agriculture of the State of Michigan ..
Identifier: annualreportofse59mich (find matches)
Year: 1862- (1860s)
Authors: Michigan. State Board of Agriculture; Michigan State College. Agricultural Experiment Station
Subjects: Agriculture -- Michigan
Publisher: Lansing : The Board
Contributing Library: New York Botanical Garden, LuEsther T. Mertz Library
Digitizing Sponsor: The LuEsther T Mertz Library, the New York Botanical Garden



Text Appearing Before Image:
584 STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. duced and of directiug the forces of future growth. During the earlier years of the tree's existence, pruning is primarily a training process in which the tree is assuming its future matured form which is deter- mined by the combined forces of its inherited character of growth, its environmental conditions and the direction in which its forces of growth are led to take by pruniug. Since the natural habit of growth and the forces of environment do not result in a form of tree that best meets the economic conveniences of good orcliard practices or does not re-
Text Appearing After Image:
Fig. IV. Same tree as shown in AFTER PRUNING. Fig. 3. Outer branches have been thinned out and top moderately reduced. suit in a form that is capable of producing maximum crops without the breaking down of the branches, these objects must be sought by pruning. While this function of pruning is relatively of greater im- portance during its formative period, that is, before the tree comes into bearing, it must be considered, nevertheless, even with mature trees. The greatest stimulative efl'ect of pruning on growth is in closest proximity to the cut. Hence, in pruning wood of the past season's growth, the bud left nearest the end generally produces the greatest growth the following season. The groAvth of the lower buds is less as the distance from the cut increases. As tlie direction of this bud largely determines its direction of growth, the direction of the future branches is greatly influenced by the direction of the buds left nearest the end.