TRAINING ON FAN SYSTEM. 505 TRAINING ON FAN SYSTEM. 



of the muscle plum being the most suitable 

 for the purpose. They may be trained in 

 the fan or inclined cordon form, but the 

 main branches must be disposed in such a 

 manner and at such a distance apart as to 

 leave room for lateral shoots to be laid in 

 on each side of the main branch, because 

 it is on the new or young wood that the 

 fruit is produced, and not on permanent 

 fruit spurs as in the pear and apple. Thus, 

 although the branches of a trained pear or 

 apple need not be more than 12 inches 

 apart, the branches of a peach or nectarine 

 must be from 20 to 24 inches apart in 

 order to give room for laying in the lateral 



PEACH-TREE TRAINED ON FAN SYSTEM. 



fruit-bearing shoots that proceed from the 

 main or wood branch. For the 

 reason, although pears in the oblique 

 cordon form may be planted 16 inches 



assumes in the fifth year of its training and 

 the sixth year of its growth after planting, 

 for peaches and nectarines should not be 

 pruned during the first year of their growth. 

 At the end of the first year the tree should 

 be cut back to about 18 inches, or even 

 less, from the ground, in such a way as to 

 leave three buds on the stem two on 

 opposite sides of the stem, about 12 inches 

 above the ground level, and one in front : 

 from the side buds the branches A, A, are 

 obtained, while the front bud affords the 

 continuation of the stem. The second year 

 the new shoots that spring from the three 

 buds must be cut back about a third of 

 their length, and at the 

 third pruning the main 

 stem "is again cut back in 

 order to allow the lowest 

 branches, A, A, to gain in 

 size and strength and to 

 develop lateral shoots. It 

 is not till the fourth year 

 that the branches B, B, are 

 allowed to grow. In the 

 fifth year the upper branches, 

 C, C, are developed from 

 buds left below the point 

 at which the stem has 

 been last cut, and at the 

 of the summer the growth of the 

 is as shown in the illustration 



end 



same tree 



herewith. In the meantime, the side 

 branches and the lateral fruit-bearing 



apart, so that their branches when inclined 

 are about 12 inches apart, yet the trees in 

 a row of oblique cordon peaches must be 

 planted from 24 to 30 inches apart in order 

 that there may be an interval of from 20 to 

 24 inches between them when inclined. 



That there may be no misconception of 

 that which has just been said, the accom- 

 panying illustration will give a rough 

 idea of the training of the peach 

 and nectarine in fan form, the tree 

 being represented in the form that it 



shoots have been cut back year after year 

 in order to secure the proper extension of 

 both. In the peach and nectarine the 

 fruit branches they can scarcely be termed 

 spurs are new every year ; that is to say, 

 the branches which have borne blossom 

 and fruit one year, and will bear no more, 

 must be replaced the next year by fresh 

 branches from new buds at the base of the 

 shoot. 



All that has been said above with refer- 

 ence to the peach and nectarine applies 



