310 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



not going to add to the cost per bushel. It may add to your gross expense^ 

 but when you measure it by the bushel, I am sure it will not. 



The President : And the life of the tree? 



Mr. Hale: The tree will live longer. 



PRUNING THE PEACH. 

 BY PRESIDENT MORRILL. 



In presenting my practice or system of pruning the peach I do not make 

 the claim that it can not be improved upon or that it is entirely original, 

 but that the plans described and illustrated are the best that I have ever 

 seen put into practice, and I believe are now quite generally followed 

 by the most expert growers in the country. I am fully aware that the 

 plan is indorsed by some growers but for some reason is not put into 

 practice by them; so I will furnish you photographic illustrations from 

 my own orchards, showing exactly how I treat my entire orchard of 

 nearly 100 acres. 



In order to fully understand just what treatment is best for any named 

 species of fruit, we must first understand its habits, peculiarities, and 

 requirements, all of which may be varied by local conditions of soil^ 

 climate, exposure, etc. These matters each grower must study for 

 himself. 



The most prominent peculiarity of the peach is that, under favorable 

 conditions, it makes a much greater growth of top than the root can 

 possibly maintain in full vigor, especially during its first fruiting years; 

 so we practice pruning, witli the following objects in view : 



1. Symmetry and proper balance between root and top. 



2. Thie preservation of the vigor and fruiting powers of the tree. 

 8. The proper thinning of the fruit at the best possible time. 



I presume it is well to state right here that the plans I am about to 

 present can not be followed by every peach-grower unless the majority of 

 them reform their present method of cultivation and fertilization. I call 

 your attention to this matter because proper pruning, or pruning on these 

 lines, is only of value to the grower who is thorough in all the details of 

 orchard culture. 



When peach trees are placed on good soil and given good culture they 

 are probably the, most satisfactory growers of any of the tree fruits; but 

 experience has proven that they will invariably establish too many limbs, 

 and in case of the free-bearing varieties will set altogether too many buds 

 — and here is where the skillful grower must step in and use his brains 

 and his shears. If he does not, tlie trees will attempt to grow, perhaps, 

 ten times as many peaches as the root systems can sustain or mature 

 properly. The result is that you have a very unsatisfactory crop of 

 peaches; the tree is left in an exhausted condition; it can not establish a 

 crop of sound, strong buds for next year's crop, nor can it properly mature 

 all its wood. Tlie next spring you find j^our tops filled with dead, small 

 limbs, and the trees fail to produce, or perhaps produce a crop of poor^ 



