168 PRUNING AND MANAGEMENT OF THE PEACH TREE; 



supply of fruit-branches, naked spaces may occur on principal 

 branches, more especially on their under sides. Such cases may 

 be remedied in the following manner: — 



At a, Fig. 10, a naked space may be seen on the upper and 

 under side of the branch. In order to fill it, the fruit-branches 

 a, a, situated on each side, and immediately beneath the naked 

 space, are left, when pruned longer than usual, and are allowed to 

 grow to the required extent. I suppress all the eyes in the 

 intervals of the three shoots b, b, b, and I encourage the growth 

 of the latter, in order to convert them into fruit-branches. When 

 these are obtained, and the branches a, a, trained as near as 

 possible to the principal branch that bears them, no naked space 

 appears, and the branch is as well covered at this place as else- 

 where. The three shoots b, b, b, are treated in the same way as 

 the fruit-branches ; and being successively replaced, like them, 

 they produce fruit equally as well. This simple proceeding is 

 advantageous in two ways ; it prevents the branch from being 

 naked, and it affords fruit from the three fruit-branches on each 

 side, of which we should have been deprived, if this proceeding 



