PKUNING AND MANAGEMENT OF THE PEACH TEEE. 



form should correspond in length to girth — not short and thick, nor long and slender, 

 The base immediately above the roots ought to be nicely rounded — not bulged, nor 

 split; the stalks solid, brittle, straight, perpendicular to the base, with the leaflets 

 confined to the upper part, leaving the stem clear below. The blanching should 

 extend in the second inner row of stalks up to the leaves, and to the base of the outer 

 ones; all inside of this ought to be clear and eatable, and proceed in the middle nearly 

 to the top of the leaves : the whole available substance for use being about one-half 

 the entire bulk. There ought not to be any spots or freckles of any kind on any part, 

 nor the least sponginess or hollowness. If a White variety, the bleaching should be 

 perfectly white; and if a Red, of a clear whitish-pink, shading off to white in the heart. 

 Such is a first rate head of Celery ; and I hope that more attention will begin to be 

 paid at exhibitions to a better standard of excellence in vegetables, for there is yet 

 much room for improvement. 



PRUNING AND MANAGEMENT OF THE PEACH TREE.* 



Section V. — The Practice of Prvnixg applied to the Peach tree trained in tue Square Form. 



I. Formation of the Tree. 



146. It has been shown (55) how the young tree was planted. We will now 

 return to that point, and examine the operations which it must each year undergo, in 

 order that it may assume the square form of training, and be well filled up in all its 

 parts, with an equal vigor throughout, 



147. As stated (56), the young tree on being planted in autumn is cut back to 

 eight or ten inches above the place where it was budded ; see fig. 6, which represents 

 the tree as it comes from the nursery — b is the bud, a is the point to which it is 

 headed back when planted. In the following spring, the development commences of 

 the eyes a and b, destined to originate the two main branches of the tree ; and eyes 

 situated lower than these, as c, are not destroyed till the two shoots from a and b are 

 fairly started. 



148. During the first year of planting, it is sufficient to superintend the growth of 

 the two young shoots by training them loosely in the form of a somewhat open V. 

 Their training is continued according to their growth, and so that the young shoots 

 may take a perfectly straight direction. The first year's growth, except in case of 

 accident, generally gives the results which are represented by fig. 1. At this stage, it 

 is of importance to direct the young shoots by two perfectly straight rods. 



149. If by any chance one of the young shoots should perish, the survivor must be 

 trained upright, and pinched when ten or twelve inches in length, in order to form 

 well-established eyes at its base, with the view of obtaining, in the following spring, 

 two young shoots fit for commencing the two main branches. 



* Continued from April number. 



