206 Peach-Growing 



of the whips and on short twigs and spurs from the older 

 wood. If the young fruit is killed by very late frosts, the 

 condition that favors the greatest hardiness is secured by 

 having the trees in as vigorous a condition of growth as a 

 healthy five- or six-year-old tree generally makes. The best 

 system of pruning, then, would seem to be to keep the heads 

 of the trees open, and the ends of the branches shortened 

 back some each year, enough to keep the tree in a reasonably 

 vigorous state of growth. Trees in south Missouri will need 

 considerable of this heading back, especially as the trees grow 

 older. In the northern half of the state, and especially in a 

 section where the trees make the most growth, like the hill 

 land around Kansas City, the heading back will have to be 

 done more cautiously for fear of throwing the tree into too 

 vigorous growth. Some heading back should be done, 

 however, each year. The importance of having an open 

 head will be greater in the northern half of the state than in 

 the southern, so far as the hardiness of the buds is concerned, 

 especially if we do any heading back." 



PRUNING TO OVERCOME WINTER INJURY 



Occasional "test winters" occur in which the temperature 

 drops disastrously low even in peach districts in which the 

 usual winter is entirely favorable to the industry. Such a 

 winter was the one of 1903-1904 and which resulted in injury 

 to many trees in parts of New England, New York, Michi- 

 gan, and other northern peach-growing regions. Special 

 problems in pruning are presented by such occurrences. 



Trees that are thrifty and vigorous will withstand more 

 adverse temperature conditions than those which are in any 

 way depleted. Since trees of considerable age are often 



