PRUNING AND MANAGEMENT OF THE PEACH TREE. 181 



is left uncovered, to attain the same growth as the other. The 

 influence that shading has on vegetation may be employed for 

 full-grown trees, to restrain the growth of the upper secondary 

 branches by retaining over their exti-emities the straw mats which 

 are joined to the copings till after the fruit has been formed. 



154. If these means fail, we must, at the following winter- 

 pruning, leave the shoots on the weak parts as long as possible, 

 and even, in some cases, not prune them at all, leaving both the 

 terminal eye and all the young shoots, so that by their growth 

 they may draw the sap towards the part. At the same time, the 

 shoots on the strong part should be pruned short ; all superfluous 

 shoots should be removed at the first disbudding ; and the pro- 

 gress of those remaining must be carefully watched, in order to 

 allow them only a limited growth. This mode, which is very 

 efficacious, is founded on the principle of physiology that leaves 

 are the respiratory organs of plants, towards which the ascending 

 sap is continually drawn, to be in them elaborated, after which it 

 descends towards the roots. The ascent of the sap-fluid through 

 the alburnum, and its descent by the vessels of the bark, maintain 

 a more active degree of life in these parts, and thus their vigour 

 is increased in proportion to the amount of the circulation of that 

 fluid. This means may be employed on trees of any age ; and it 

 always succeeds well, provided the parts operated on be healthy, 

 though of unequal strength ; but it must not be used on badly- 

 organised branches, or on those suffering from languor resulting 

 from disease. In the latter case, we must begin by curing the 

 disease. 



155. There is another mode, which can only be employed on 

 bearing-trees. It consists in leaving a great many Peaches on 

 the strong parts, because the nourishment of the fruit being very 

 exhausting, the vigour of the branches is diminished in propor- 

 tion to the quantity of fruit they bear. On the other hand, the 

 vigour of a feeble branch may be restored by limiting the number of 

 its fruit. The latter proceeding is rarely used by the cultivators, 

 because they must have Peaches, whatever be the consequence. 



156. These means may be greatly assisted by disbudding, 

 pinching, summer-pruning, and even by defoliation ; and these 

 operations may be employed separately or combined, according to 

 the age and growth of the tree. 



157. The results of the first year's growth are not always such 

 as have been supposed. Often the vegetation is languid, and the 

 shoots are neither so long, nor so thick, as to enable us to originate 



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