PRUNING PEACH TREES. 291 



of a peach tree, aud cites the fact that trees treated in this way in France have 

 lived a hundred years. 



On this same subject Mr. Thomas says : "ISTo tree requires continued prun- 

 ing so much as the peach. There is a strong tendency in the terminal buds 

 to push upward and outward at the expense of their sister shoots, which, soon 

 dying, the tree ultimately is composed of long bare poles with only tufts of 

 leaves at their extremities. It is well known that young trees bear large, 

 handsome, and excellent fruit, while the old enfeebled trees yield nothing but 

 small specimens of inferior quality. Continual pruning will prevent this bad 

 result and preserve the heads of old trees in a state of thrifty growth, and they 

 will continue to yield as large and fine fruit as in the first years of bearing. 

 As the peach ahvays bears its fruits on the previous year's growth, and buds 

 never start from old wood, it is important to keep a continual supply of young 

 wood evenly distributed throughout the head. This can only be done by con- 

 tinual cutting back." 



In his interesting work on "Peach Culture" Mr. Fulton says concerning 

 this shortening-in system, "There is still another advantage claimed for cut- 

 ting in, and which we do not wish to undervalue. It is, that it invigorates 

 and prolongs the life of the tree. We think this is so, and that a tree cut in 

 annually will remain longer thrifty than one not so treated. The leaves will 

 be greener, the young bearing wood more abundant, and the fruit larger and 

 richer." 



In passing, however, it is but fair to say that this author rejects this treat- 

 ment of the peach, because he thinks it will not pay. 



THIS SHORTENING IN 



is advocated by the standard authorities in pomology for these reasons : 



That it preserves a beautiful and well rounded head ; 



That it prolongs the life of the tree ; 



That it insures fruit of better size and flavor; 



That it obtains bearing wood in abundance, properly distributed throughout 

 the tree; 



That it lessens the labor of thinning the fruit, and. 



That it secures healthier and more luxuriant foliage. 



THE STYLE OF PRUNING 



befriended by Mr. Dyckman amounts to but little more than an aid to nature 

 in denuding the tree of its side shoots, and in converting the shapely and sym- 

 metrical figure of vigorous youth into a green-tufted skeleton, but a step re- 

 moved from premature death. 



A tree thus str'pped, with its trunk, crotch, and long limbs exposed to the 

 sun and wind, is an object that excites my pity rather than my admiration. 



The objection is urged against the shortening-in system, that it requires too 

 much labor to pay. I do not believe it. If it requires twice the labor demanded 

 by the thinning-out mode, and prolongs the life and vigor of the tree even fif- 

 teen years, it will pay in the long run, especially when we consider that it will 

 lessen the cost of thinning. 



In this connection I desire to offer for consideration a letter from Mr. C. 

 Engle, of Paw Paw, one of the most experienced and successful peach growers 

 in the State, a pomologist whose fruit is a favorite with buyers in any market 

 where known, and whose orchard received the first premium of this society in 



