TEUNING AND MANAGEMENT OF THE PEACH IEEE. 



leno-th, there is space for several shoots likely to be produced of medium strength for 

 furnishing the branch. This is a better mode of subduing the impetuous growth of 

 young trees, than that of delaying the pruning till such time as the wood and flower- 

 buds commence to open, and thus cause a loss of sap as mentioned (62). Moreover, 

 I have only spoken of late pruning in order to meet a case where, from some cause, 

 the operation could not be performed at its proper time ; and it should be understood 

 that, under these circumstances, it is the youngest and strongest trees that suffer the 

 least from such delay. 



G7. If, on the other hand, short pruning is adopted, it will produce strong young 

 shoots, often too near each other, the vigor of which can neither be repressed by pinch- 

 ino-, nor by any other operation. There would he no resource left but to cut them 

 out at the following pruning. This increases the number of wounds, weakens the 

 tree, and prevents it from assuming a regular form, with branches tapering uniformly 

 from their bases to their extremities. 



68. Therefore, short pruning must not be adojited, except on the wood-branches of 

 feeble trees. It is advisable in this case, because it would be improper to give them 

 a greater length of wood than they can nourish; and because it is desirable that 

 branches should have a thickness in proportion to their length. In cases like these, 

 short pruning concentrates the sap, and the branch thus pruned becomes thicker. 

 When ultimately such a tree takes a more active growth, the shoots, when pruned, 

 must accordingly be left at greater length. 



69. The Peach tree, trained in the square form, is first set off with two main 

 branches (branches meres); and, in order that its form may be complete, each of 

 these must be furnished, on its under side, with three secondary branches, which are 

 called loioer ; and on its upper side with three secondary branches, called xippcr. 



70. In gentlemen's gardens, where the walls are higher than ours, four lower and 

 four upper secondary branches may be established on each of the main branches ; but 

 as they are formed in the same way as the other three, I shall confine myself to 

 describinoi- the operation according to the method I pursue with my own wall-trees. 



71. The operation that forms the lower secondary branches, which should always 

 be permitted to grow before the upper ones, is based upon the above-mentioned prin- 

 ciple (64) ; that pruning to a wood-bud favors its development, and that of the eyes 

 that are beneath it, in proportion to their proximity. Therefore, the wood-bud, which 

 is immediately below the terminal one, is that which takes the next greatest growth. 

 This being the case, when we want to form a lower secondary branch, we prune the 

 leading shoot of the main branch (a, fig. 7) to an eye on the upper side or in front of 

 the shoot, the next lower bud being on the under side. The first is intended to pro- 

 long the main branch, the second to form a lower secondary. 



72. For the formation of a lower secondary branch, we can also make use of a shoot 

 or of a summer lateral, if they spring from immediately below the bud to which the 

 main branch has been pruned. The shoot or summer lateral is either left entire, or 

 pruned back to the first wood-bud ; and it is trained in the direction which it ougl 

 to take. It is sometimes useful to facilitate its development by one or more 



