P?\S%:^^: 



PBUNINQ AND MANAGEMENT OP THE PEACH TBEE. 



A, n, c", n, producing young shoots and loaves, these branches attract a greater (|uan- 

 titv of sap than flows to tlie upper secondaries, cheeked as it is at the same time by 

 obstacles opposed to the growth of the hitter, and tlius inducing its flow towards the 

 extremities a, d, c, d, thereby contributing so much the more to their growth. 



183. Therefore the four Last are pruned as long as possible, in order that their 

 points may regularly touch the perpendicular line drawn from the top of the wall to 

 the earth. The only limit to this elongation is the height of the wall which prevents 

 the branch a from attaining a greater length than that at which it touches the under 

 side of the coping; and which, consequently, obliges us to keep the three secondary 

 brandies, b, c, d, in a relative proportion, so that their extremities, wlien nailed, may 

 not extend beyond the perpendicular line falling from the point of the branch, A. 



184. When it has reached the coping, there are three modes of proceeding. 1st, 

 — By the annual cutting back of each of the four branches a, b, c, d, on shoots proper 

 for replacing the extremities of the branches shortened back. These shoots are each 

 pruned on a wood-bud suitable for a leader. This is the way generally adopted ; and 

 must necessarily be so when, as has been pointed out (59), the Peach trees are only 

 twenty-six feet apart, and consequently there is no more space for the extension of the 

 branches. 



185. 2d, — By the annual cutting back of the branch a only, which must be treat- 

 ed from that time the same as will be directed at 187 for the branches e, e, e, and by 

 the equal elongation of the branches b, c, d, until the branch d, in its turn, reach the 

 coping. But, to employ this method, there must be certain conditions not always to 

 be met with. It will be understood that the elongation of the lower branches is a 

 secondary consideration to that of their being maintained in good condition ; and 

 that they should always be \^ell furnished with young wood ; for if they were pro- 

 longed without care being taken, it might prove injurious to the vigor of the lower 

 part of the tree, and produce ugly gaps. Therefore, the elongation of the four 

 branches a, b, c, d must be proportionate to their strength ; and when they are 

 weakly, they must be kept shorter, by every year cutting back their extremities to a 

 lower shoot, which, with proper nailing, forms a new leader (184). This proceeding 

 concentrates the sap for the better nourishment of the lower parts, and for the pro- 

 ducing in thera a more active state of growth. But if, on the other hand, the growth 

 of the tree is so vigorous that the lower parts are healthy, and the principal branches 

 there well furnished with fruit-branches, there is no danger in treating the branches 

 A, b, c, d as has been explained in the beginning of this article, and thus we may 

 even be able to give each wing an extent of twenty-feet — a proportion that cannot 

 well be exceeded on walls ten feet high ; and this does not prevent us from keeping 

 the tree in the form of a long parallelogram forty feet in length by ten feet in height. 

 But the second method, which can be very seldom resorted to, requires that a greater 

 distance between the trees be provided for at the time of planting. It will be easily 

 understood that the equilibrium of strength and growth is more difficult to maintain 



tree disposed in this way, the lower principal branches being only three ag; 

 upper ones ; and, therefore, I do not recommend the adoption of this meth 



