PEACHES AND NECTARINES LONG-PRUNING. 



77 



the base of a bearing branch is designated a successional bearing shoot. If the 

 growth is short, and bears a cluster of leaves, in the axils of which blossom buds are 

 formed, with a wood bud at the extremity, it is termed a spur. Such spurs are not, 

 as a rule, desirable in trained trees ; and reliance must be placed on successional bearing 

 shoots, manipulated on the long-pruning system. 



Long-Pruning. This is applicable to trees trained on the Diagonal Cordon, " U," 

 Fan, and Seymour's modes of training. To practise long-pruning successfully it is 



Fig. 21. CHABACTEBISTIC GBOWTHS OF THE PEACH AND NECTARINE. 



References : Z, young shoot, with wood buds only. A, over-luxuriant shoot with laterals (a) unpinched ; 

 6, blossom buds all the others wood buds ; bars, points of cutting off the laterals at the winter pruning. B, 

 vigorous shoot, with the laterals pinched at the first joint (c) ; d, sub-laterals ; e, wood buds ; /, blossom buds ; bars, 

 points of pruning the laterals in winter. C, bearing shoot ; g, terminal wood bud ; A, double buds ; t, triple buds ; 

 y, basal wood buds. D, bearing shoot with single blossom buds (k) ; I, terminal wood bud ; m, basal wood buds. 

 E, barren shoot (because containing no growth buds above the bar) ; n, blossom, buds ; o, wood bud ; bar, point of 

 winter pruning. 



important to have a right knowledge of the distinctive characters of the buds and the 

 shoots of peach and nectarine trees. 



The shoot Z is the most desirable class of wood, medium sized, not so weak as to 

 remain short, nor so vigorous as to push laterals ; but short-jointed, brown, and hard. 

 It can be left its full length as an extension, or be cut back to any bud desired. 



The over-luxuriant shoot (A) is practically useless when unripe, and the only 



