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MISSOURI AGRICULTURAL REPORT. 



tree. Peach trees uniformly set more fruit than they should be allowed 

 to try to ripen. In pruning bearing trees about one-half of the wood 

 of the previous season's growth should be cut away. See Figs. 5 and 

 6 for such a tree before and after pruning. 



When it is found in late winter that the fruit buds are killed, the 

 opportunity should be seized to cut the trees back more severely than 

 usual, cutting back into two and even three-year old wood. If the wood 

 is blackened inside and shows injury from freezing, the tree should be 

 cut back still more severelv. 



Fig. 7.— The first season's growth after severely cutting back an old peach tree 

 which had been severely injured by freezing. 



In rare instances, as in the winter of 1898-9, peach trees became so 

 badl}' damaged by freezing that the growers seriously considered the 

 advisability of digging up entire orchards. Often the wood was found 

 to be discolored throughout in the greater part of the main branches, 

 and even in the trunks. However, many of these trees were saved by 

 excessive pruning. A typical example of the results of such pruning 

 after having one summer's growth is illustrated in Fig. 7. To properly 

 prune the long growth on the cut-back trees, see Fig. 8. 



