202 Peach-Grovdng 



new shoots near the point where the branch was cut, and if 

 these are all allowed to grow and are pinched back the 

 development of branches will be much too dense." 



Keff er ^ has studied the effects of summer pruning peach 

 trees in full bearing. If done early — by the middle of June 

 in the latitude of Tennessee — it may have beneficial results. 

 He observes that the general tendency is for the bearing 

 surface to become more and more remote from the central 

 axis of the tree, the smaller twigs and branches in the center 

 gradually dying. 



This author further notes that the fruit-buds form abun- 

 dantly after the middle of June. From one season's work 

 only he is convinced that early summer pruning of bearing 

 trees, which consists of heading back the main leader branch 

 a few inches and as well also some of the side branches, will 

 result in the growth of many short spurs all along the branches 

 thus headed back and on which fruit-buds will form. In 

 this way the bearing surface is developed within the center 

 of the tree. In case of the very early varieties this type of 

 summer pruning can be done after the season's crop is 

 harvested. In the later varieties, it must be done while the 

 crop is still on the tree. While it is admitted that this treat- 

 ment of later varieties may result for the time being in the 

 loss of some fruit, by alternating the cutting back, treating 

 some limbs one year and the others the next, Keffer believes 

 the method will prove advantageous for varieties of all 

 seasons. This plan presupposes the keeping of the top well 

 opened so that the spurs will have a full measure of 

 sunlight. 



Unfortunately the investigations, as reported, were not 

 continued for a series of years in order to determine the effect 

 1 Tenn. Exp. Sta. Bull. 108. 



