p U PRUNING AND MANAGEMENT OF THE PEACH TREE. 



f 



rcc'i'iitlv sjinmijf from lioiU'alli riiii iii> risk df ln.'iiiL,' inipovorislifil. Tliis mode of 

 troatiiu'iit is so much tlie more iiiijtortaiit in consc(jueiico of tliis kind of bramlies 

 e.\istin;j^ more csjiccially on the lower jtarts of the tree, toward which we must hjsc no 

 opportunity of inducing the flow of sap, which has always a comparatively strong 

 upward tendency. 



89. Second Sort. — Branches with Double Eyes (fig. 2); and Tiiiud Sokt. — 

 Branches with Trijile Eyes (fig. 3). These two kinds of branches, which are the 

 most common on Peach trees, are both pruned in the same manner. The branch 

 which has fruited is cut down to the successional shoot ; and the latter is pruned on a 

 wood-bud, leaving it long enough to have a sufficient number of flowers. The short- 

 ening is made with the view of leaving on each bearing-branch only as many fruits as 

 it can support without weakening itself, and alfo with that of concentrating the sap so 

 as to favor the development of the buds, or young shoots at or near the base, one of 

 ■which becomes in turn a successional shoot at the following pruning. 



90. In these, as in the preceding sort, it may happen that a fruit-branch, pruned 

 the year before on a single wood-bud, may not have produced others at its base during 

 the time of its growth. It must then be cut back to the wood-bud nearest to where 

 it was pruned before. If a lower eye does push, it must be treated as directed (88). 



91. The fruit-branches on the upper side generally become of a greater length than 

 those on the under side, which tends to cause more difficulty in getting buds to push 

 near the base. In this case, after having been pruned sufficiently long to preserve the 

 fruits, they are trained as will be shown at 93. If an eye form at the base of any of 

 them, it is well to encourage its growth by pinching and cutting off, or disbudding, 

 all the young shoots above it, at the summer pruning. Without the precaution of 

 pinching and disbudding, the upper shoots would absorb the sap, and the lowest one 

 would become so impoverished as to be destitute of eyes at its base, and we should 

 then be obliged to replace with a better constituted young shoot, further situated how- 

 ever from the main branch. 



92. The Flower-buds, on shoots from the upper sides of the branches, are very often 

 found at a considerable distance from the base ; and we are consequently obliged to 

 leave the shoots much longer than would otherwise be proper, in order to have fruit. 

 There is no objection to this, only it is advisable to take out the wood-eyes that are 

 beneath the lowest flower-bud, with the exception, it must be well recollected, of at 

 least two of the nearest to the base of the shoot. In this way there is no opposition 

 to the development of the latter, either of which may replace the fruit-branch at the 

 following pruning. 



93. I have spoken of a particular mode of nailing a branch without a developed 

 eye at its base so as to make it produce one, that being indispensable for the forma- 

 tion of a replacing shoot. It is done in the following way: — As soon as a fruit- 

 branch of this description is pruned, it is nailed in winter to the wall, bringing it as 

 close as we can, without breaking, to the branch on which it grows. It is well-known 

 that every fruit-branch forms with the branch that bears it an angle more or less 

 open ; we must endeavor in this case to render the angle as acute as possible, and the 



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