Propagation of Peach Trees 55 



BUDDING 



Selecting the buds. 



As previously stated, the peach is propagated almost 

 exclusively by budding, the shield or "T" bud method 

 being used. The buds for this purpose are taken from 

 the growth of the current season. They should be well 

 matured, hence those near the terminal end of the 

 limbs may need to be discarded, especially at the begin- 

 ning of the budding season. Furthermore, the buds 

 should be selected with great care both as to health and 

 vigor of bud and identity of variety. Special regard should 

 be taken for "peach yellows." If buds are taken from a 

 branch that actually shows this disease developing, it is 

 probable that little if any harm will result subsequently 

 to the orchard since few of the buds are likely to grow, 

 or if they do start, they will not live long enough to reach 

 the orchard. But if buds are taken from the apparently 

 healthy part of a tree in the early stages of this disease, the 

 buds may be expected not only to develop into trees, but 

 in course to develop the disease themselves before they have 

 produced much fruit. It is, therefore, of the very greatest 

 importance that buds be selected from trees that are entirely 

 free from disease in every respect. The significance of this 

 admonition is now generally appreciated, though this was not 

 the case formerly. 



And again, a wide difference in the bearing habits of 

 peach trees growing under identically the same conditions 

 is frequently observed. Some trees habitually bear heavy 

 crops of especially high grade fruit of the variety; others 

 may bear an undesirable grade ; while others may be habit- 

 ually barren or nearly so. Investigations of such differences 



