How TO PRUNE THE PEACH 



1091 



PEUNING IN DORMANT SEASON AFTER THE FIRST YEAR 



At the close of the second season's growth the trees will have 

 formed many secondary branches, and the leaders will have in- 

 creased in height. Pruning should then consist principally in 

 cutting off any large twigs or shoots that grow directly inward 

 toward the center of the tree or upward in the center of the tree, 

 and should include a certain amount of cutting back. Nothing is 

 gained, however, by pruning off every little twig on the inside of 

 the top of the tree and leaving the main branches bare. The small 

 twigs will not become leaders and may produce fruit. When two 

 side branches occupy much the same space or cross one another, a 

 choice should be made and one of them removed. 



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FIG. 345. BY SOME CUTTING BACK OF BRANCHES, MORE COMPACT TREES 



ARE FORMED 



The severity of the cutting back of the branches should be based 

 on the age and the variety of the tree and the amount of growth 

 that has been made the previous season. During the second and 

 third seasons, the tree is still in the formative stage and leading 



