66 THE BOOK OF THE PEACH. 



clear idea of the " why and wherefore " before pro- 

 ceeding in the matter, otherwise they will, so to 

 speak, be working in the dark. In the case of peach 

 trees it is absolutely necessary to remove by dis- 

 budding a large percentage of the wood-buds as soon 

 as they push into growth that is, if satisfactory 

 results are desired (see Fig. 15) : well-developed and 

 properly ripened wood, arranged on the trellis as in- 

 dicated under the heading of Pruning and Training, 

 being essentially necessary, in the first instance, to 

 the production of good crops of peaches of the best 

 possible description. Disbudding that is rubbing 

 off superfluous young growths must not be done at 

 one time; on the contrary, the operation should be 

 extended over several days, doing a little at a time, 

 in order to prevent the trees experiencing any check 

 in the flow of the sap, a condition which would 

 most probably follow the removal of all the super- 

 fluous growths at one time. The buds, when about 

 one-quarter inch in length, should be thinned out 

 to about three or four inches apart on each side 

 of the individual shoots, rubbing off all growths on 

 the upper and lower surfaces of the shoots, those 

 proceeding from the sides of last year's growths 

 being selected at proper distances from one another 

 for bearing fruit the following year. The first of 

 these should be taken from a point as near the base 

 of last year's growths as possible, with the obvious 



