Swiss-style Apple Tree Pruning

I would like to hear about the methods involved in Swiss-style pruning. This valley in Washington had a high percentage of Swiss settlers consequently I see a lot of Swiss-style pruned apple trees. From what I see, it appears that several branches from the trunk that are at a convenient height are bent in a bow shape so their tips point towards the ground. They then are pruned, it seems, by a modified form of pollarding.
So a mature tree will be pollarded one year and it will send up hundreds of water sprouts and look like a porcupine. The water sprouts are allowed to grow for a year and then they are thinned leaving far fewer to become fruiting branches close to the main arching (scaffold?) branches. These sprouts are allowed to fruit for several years and then the pollarding process is repeated (to renew fruiting wood?). Or, so it seems this is the process. These are just distant observations. What is the actual process and reasoning behind it? It seems quite productive, open to air circulation, and keeps the trees at a convenient picking height. I have never seen it in a large commercial orchard. It seems to take advantage of the higher fruit production that occurs on horizontal branches (compared to less production on vertical branches). Is there anyone knowledgeable and experienced with Swiss-style apple tree pruning out there that can explain it?

Interesting topic! Quite an unconventional approach.

I found a basic description here (1985):
https://www.csmonitor.com/1985/1015/hswis.html

Douglas Alpenstock wrote:Interesting topic! Quite an unconventional approach.

I found a basic description here (1985):
https://www.csmonitor.com/1985/1015/hswis.html

Thanks Douglas, just ordered a used copy of "Ecological Fruit Production in the North"... $625 new !!!

Paul Young wrote:Thanks Douglas, just ordered a used copy of "Ecological Fruit Production in the North"... $625 new !!!

Ouch! Hope it's worth it.

Not too "Ouch!", the used copy was under $25.

Haha, that's better! Hope you'll give us a review when you've gone through it.

Will do!!!
Can't understand that price, maybe a typo and should have been $62.50.

Paul Young wrote:Will do!!!
Can't understand that price, maybe a typo and should have been $62.50.

I have a book about sheep that I bought for around $23. Currently, the cheapest used copy on Amazon is over $750.

$625 is outrageous, but not unheard-of.

Hmmmmmm...

Maybe its time to get into used book investment speculation!  

Unbelievable!!!