^68 



Journal of the Department of Agriculture. 



fruit once; the lateral i-s then cut back to its base. Peach leaders 

 should be thinned out to one at each pruning to maintain the shape 

 of the tree, and shortened back to about half the previous season's 

 growth. Erect, rank growths, known as water shoots, should be 

 removed entirely from the centre of the tree. These are usually very 



Fig. 23.—" Prune d'Agen. 



immature (owing to the rapid growth in the late summer) and unpro- 

 ductive; they are, however, sometimes retained if required to replace 

 an injured or dead branch. 



Fig. 19 shows a peach which has been regularly pruned through- 

 out its lifetime ; the broad base gives ample security to the branches 

 arising from it when loaded with fruit. The amount of fruit repre- 

 sented here by buds could never be brought to maturity by the tree ; 



