THE PEACH. 



65 



shipping point to unite with in making ship- 

 ments, I would plant only one variety. 



PRUNING. 



The work of pruning begins before the tree 

 is planted ; first, all broken and bruised roots 

 should be cut back to sound healthy wood, 

 with a sloping cut on the under side of the root, 

 always using a sharp knife. 



If there are any side branches they should be 

 cut off, leaving a single straight stem, cut off at 

 the height of one foot to eighteen inches from 

 the ground. There are many good reasons for 

 having our orchards branched this low. When 

 the trunks are shaded they are less liable to dis- 

 ease. With no long trunk for leverage they are 

 less liable to be blown over by storms. When 

 trained with low heads, pruning, thinning and 

 picking can be done for a tithe of the expense 

 involved where the workmen must use ladders 

 to enable them to reach the high and widely 

 expended top. 



The planter should aim to have four or five 

 well developed buds on the upper part of the 

 trunk when planted, as the new branches grow 

 from such buds more readily and vigorously 

 than from those near the base of branches that 

 have been cut off. Three or four of the branches 

 that grow out the first season will be needed for 

 the framework of the future tree. 



By rubbing off as soon as started all super- 

 fluous shoots the grower can, to some extent, 

 economize growth, but if not rubbed off they 

 can be cut out at the first pruning after the tree 

 has attained a year's growth. 



During the latter part of winter, before the 

 trees start into growth, all shoots not needed 

 for the permanent head of the tree should be 

 cut out, and those left (which should have at- 

 tained a length of three to five feet) should be 

 cut back to two feet or two and one-half feet. 



It has been customary to cut back even 

 shorter than this, say to one foot or eighteen 

 inches, but the tendency of such very close 

 pruning the first year is to have the tree too 

 dense, its leading branches too close together. 

 Each of these main branches will, the second 



year, throw out leaders, each of which will make 

 a growth of four to six feet. At the second an- 

 nual pruning the first aim should be to estab- 

 lish a broad, low, open-headed tree. This can 

 be accomplished by first thinning out all crowd- 

 ing inside branches, and shortening in all others 

 ftom one-half to three-fourths of the year's 

 growth, doing the closest cutting in the central 

 top. 



The third year's pruning should be on the 

 same general plan, having the same object in 

 view, to establish a well-formed tree best suited 

 to produce the greatest quantity of fruit in the 

 highest perfection. Pruning must be kept up 

 year after year, but as the trees grow older less 

 severe cutting will be required. The aim should 

 be to avoid long, bare branches that only bear 

 fruit at the extremities, and, as a consequence, 

 break down the trees. 



No specific set rules can be given for prun- 

 ing, but every one who would prune intelli- 

 gently must study the characteristics of growth 

 and fruitage of the trees upon which he would 

 use hisknife. 



Pruning may be done at any time during 

 winter, but we prefer to have it done after the 

 buds begin to swell in early spring. If done 

 earlier it tends to hasten the development of 

 the buds left, thus increasing the liability to in- 

 jury from frost, and if buds have been injured 

 before trimming you can then trim to retain as 

 many live buds as possible. 



THINNING. 



This operation is necessary to success, but 

 one that puts the nerve of the inexperienced 

 grower to a severe test. This work can be par- 

 tially accomplished by pruning as we have inti- 

 mated, and some seasons the late frost will do 

 the work even more thoroughly than we may 

 desire. 



It is not unusual in a good season for a four- 

 year-old tree to set 800 to 1000 peaches, 

 which, if left on the tree, would measure two 

 bushels when ripe, and be worth perhaps fifty 

 cents per bushel ; but if all down to 300 were 

 pulled off, these, when ripe, would also measure 



