Four pruning methods were compared during 4 consecutive years at Monte Alegre do Sul, State of São Paulo. The 4 methods consisted in leaving on the trees, 10 (common method), 20, 30 and 40 branches. Pruning was done every year so that all the growth was removed except for a number of branches that were cut back to a length of 2 to 5 inches. On each of these stumps 1 or 2 branches were allowed to grow so that the total number per tree corresponded to the designated treatment. The pruning experiment was laid out in randomized blocks with 3 replications. Individual plots consisted of 16 trees of the variety Roxo de Valinhos (San Piero). The results of the trial can be summarized as follows. a) The total yield of the whole experimental plot for the years 1951 through 1954 was, respectively, 5.2, 9.0, 8.9, and 16,0 tons per hectare. This last crop produced in the fifth year after planting was considered very satisfactory when compared with that in other fig growing areas in the world. b) The results of the three last crops were analysed and showed that there was significant tendency for the yield to increase when severity of pruning decreased. In 1954 the yields for the 4 treatments were, respectively, 10.4, 16.3, 18.4, and 18.6 tons per hectare. c) The weight of the ripe figs decreased as the number of branches per tree increased. In 1954 the average fruit weight for the 10, 20, 30 and 40 branch treatments was respectively, 65.5, 63.7, 59.7, and 60,0 g. d) No significant difference was noticed between weights of pruned branches from the 4 treatments. In 1953 and 1954 the average weight of branches for the 10, 20, 30 and 40 branch treatments was respectively, 5,3, 5,2, 4,7, and 5,4 kg per tree. e) A tendency for earlier ripening of the fig crop on trees left with larger numbers of branches was observed. For the first 10 days in January (harvest peak for the 20, 30, and 40 branch treatments) the trees with 10, 20, 30 and 40 branches yielded respectively, 12.9, 21.2, 31.7, and 36.8 per cent of the total crop for the treatment. In the last 10 days of February (harvest peak for the 10 branch treatment) the results were reversed, being respectively 18.7, 12.3, 9.4 and 9.5 per cent of the total yield for the treatment. f) Changes in fruit size, earliness, shortening of picking season, and increased expenditures in fertilizers and sprays result from the use of methods of pruning more moderate than those actually adopted in the State. It is thus up to the grower to make the ultimate decision as to which pruning method he should adopt, taking into consideration the experimental data available and the especific conditions of his own orchard.