15G PRUNING AND MANAGEMENT OF THE PEACH TREE. 



68. Therefore, short pruning must not be adopted, 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 lower . 

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



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 

 describing 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 principle (64) ; that pruning 

 to a wood-bud favours 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 prolong 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 ought to take. It is sometimes useful to 

 facilitate its development by one or more longitudinal incisions 

 on the main branch immediately above it, and extending to the 

 base of the shoot. 



73. In pruning the lower secondary branches, it is best to cut 



