Pruning Peach Trees 205 



to make a very light crop, while on the trees not headed back 

 the winter before enough buds Hved to make a very heavy 

 crop. This experience suggests that it is possible to go to 

 extremes, even where moderately heavy pruning is advan- 

 tageous. In case of these extremely heavily pruned trees, 

 very few buds may have formed, or they may have been so 

 immature that they were killed even by comparatively mild 

 temperatures. In this connection it may be noted that the 

 hardiest fruit-buds as a rule are those that form near the 

 base of the seasonal growth and on the short spurs which 

 develop on two-year-old wood. 



In summarizing the relation of pruning to winter injury 

 under Missouri conditions (and the conclusions are doubtless 

 applicable to other regions where the conditions are com- 

 parable) Chandler ^ states as follows : 



"If the buds are injured by a freeze, coming before any 

 buds have been started by a warm period, the condition that 

 favors the greatest hardiness is to have the tree mature 

 reasonably early the previous season, and to have the buds 

 set well down at the base of the w^hips, and on short spurs 

 coming out from two-year-old wood. If the buds are killed 

 after having been previously started by a warm period, the 

 condition that favors the greatest hardiness is secured by 

 having the tree grow well up toward the end of the season 

 so as to prolong the resting period, and thus reduce the 

 amount of growth the buds may make on warm days, and 

 to have the heads of the trees open so that buds may form 

 well down to the base of the whips. If the blossoms are 

 killed by spring frosts, the condition that favors the greatest 

 hardiness is secured by having the tree reasonably vigorous 

 with an open head and buds formed well down to the base 

 1 Mo. Exp. Sta. Circ. of Information, 31. 



