192 Peach-Growing 



Some of the claims for this method are that no propping 

 is necessary, it is easy to work close to the trees with tillage 

 implements because of the upright positions of the limbs, 

 and the trees are more easily kept within manageable limits 

 than by other methods. It is said to work well with very 

 strong growing varieties especially where conditions are 

 favorable for especially vigorous growth, but it is doubted 

 whether it would be satisfactory where the growth is not par- 

 ticularly vigorous and where it would require perhaps three 

 or four years for the main limbs to reach the desired height. 

 It is not known that this method is used except in certain lo- 

 calities in California, but it is possible that with some modi- 

 fications to meet conditions of tree growth it might find appli- 

 cation elsewhere. 



A general plan of pruning worked out by S. H. Fulton of 

 West Virginia on the basis of wide experience in that state 

 and in Michigan consists in forming the head rather arbitra- 

 rily, when possible to do so, of three framework branches, 

 these being selected when the trees are pruned following 

 the first season's growth. At that time these three branches 

 are headed back somewhat heavily. The next year but two 

 side branches are allowed to remain, as a rule, on each of these 

 main limbs, and these in turn are headed back. Other de- 

 tails are described by Fulton as follows : 



" Briefly, our plan of pruning peach trees hinges on the de- 

 velopment of low open centered trees with only three main 

 branches. We prune rather severely the first three years 

 aiming to develop a short-jointed stocky framework, uni- 

 formly and not too closely distributed around the open 

 center. In this pruning only a limited number of the 

 strongest and best placed terminal growths are allowed 

 to remain for framework branches. 



