THE PEACH. 261 



The main branches are cut back to ten or twelve inches 

 above the previous pruning, to a bud on the front to con- 

 tinue the branch ; the buds selected to produce another 

 series of secondary branches must all be on the side oppo- 

 site the previous ones. If the position of the buds renders 

 this impossible, then they may all be chosen on the same 

 side as the first. 



The hoops this year will require to be larger in diame- 

 ter than the preceding, in order to give increased width 

 to the vase as it proceeds upwards. All the other opera- 

 tions are conducted in the same manner. The hoops in- 

 side are placed within six to eight inches of one another, 

 and the circular branches within twelve to fifteen inches. 

 As the tree advances in age, the growth may become too 

 vigorous at the top ; and in this case, the main branches, 

 always the most vigorous, must be pruned short, and even 

 pinched during summer, to turn the sap to the benefit of 

 the weaker parts. 



These are the main points in the management of these 

 vases. It may be added, that the apple, pear, cherry, and 

 indeed all other trees may be grown in this form, and by 

 the same means, varying it only to suit different modes 

 of growth and bearing, and degrees of vigor. 



The Peach as an Espalier. Espalier training will never 

 be practiced in this country to any very great extent, and 

 therefore it may be considered, in comparison with open*- 

 ground systems, unimportant. Yet there are some dis- 

 tricts not so favorably situated as to be able to produce 

 peaches, apricots, and nectarines, in the open ground. 

 For these a proper system of espalier training is impor- 

 tant, because in this form trees are easily protected from 

 winter or spring frosts, and they ripen their fruits perfect- 

 ly, where open ground or standard trees would not. We 

 have a tree trained on the wall of one of our nursery 

 buildings which never fails to yield a good crop of superb 

 fruit, when trees in open ground, both in orchard and gar- 



