PRUNING AND MANAGEMENT OF THE PEACH TREE. 1G3 



wood-eyes that are beneath the lowest flower-bud, with the excep- 

 tion, 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 formation 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 endea- 

 vour in this case to render the angle as acute as possible, and the 

 extraordinary bend imposed on its lower parts, by this mode of 

 nailing, compresses strongly the woody fibres of the base, and 

 stretches the bark on the outside of the curve. The sap attempt- 

 ing to effect a passage through its proper vessels, which are now 

 closely squeezed together, often breaks through the bark and 

 pushes the eye desired. This proceeding is, however, only 

 applicable to branches one or two years old. 



94. It is not absolutely necessary to wait till the usual time of 

 pruning to cut back to their successional shoots those branches 

 retained as fruiting-branches at the winter-pruning. There is 

 always an advantage in doing so whenever we can, excepting 

 when the successional is growing too vigorously, notwithstanding 

 our endeavours to check it by close nailing and pinching off. 

 During the summer-pruning, if we have time, we cut off" all the 

 branches on which the fruit has not set permanently ; and, in 

 general, it is well, after the fall of the leaves, to cut out all the 

 useless wood ; this leaves so much the less to be done at the 

 regular winter-pruning. "By cutting off at this time the greater 

 part of the branches that have borne fruit, we strengthen their 

 successional shoots, and render available for the latter the portion 

 of sap which the parts cut off would have appropriated : and there 

 is always an advantage in not allowing the tree to nourish useless 

 productions. This attention is especially necessary for the weaker 

 branches. Unfortunately, the cultivators and gardeners who have 

 large gardens under their charge are, on account of their many 

 occupations, unable to perform these various operations, which, 

 although useful, are not absolutely indispensable, 



95. Fourth Sort. — Fruit-branches, the Buds of which consist 



VOL. VIII. N 



