166 HATCH EXPERIMENT STATION. [Jan. 



In no case were the results of this treatment convincing. 

 The formation of strong slioots with fruit buds on the in- 

 terior branches was never visibly promoted. The outside 

 branches which were allowed to remain seemed to profit 

 somewhat by the removal of their crowding neighbors, and 

 this was apparently the chief benefit derived from the work. 

 On the whole, it does not seem to us that this practice is to 

 be greatly recommended. 



To correct the over-growth of outside branches, the plan 

 was tried of cutting back the young growth. The tips were 

 pinched or the shoots were pruned with hand pruning shears. 

 Sometimes a foot or so of new growth was removed. The 

 pruning was done at various seasons, usually some time in 

 July. 



In all cases this treatment was unsatisfactory. The stop- 

 ping of the growing shoots is often — almost as a rule — 

 followed by the pushing of side buds, and the shoots thus 

 formed are nearly always too weak to set fruit buds, yet in 

 putting out they ruin what might otherwise become strong, 

 sound fruit buds. 



4. Pruning to renew Frozen Tree^. 



As the spring of 1903 drew on, it was plain that more 

 or less injury had been suffered by the trees in our peach 

 orchards. In the spring of 1904 the damage was still more 

 obvious and widespread. In both years some experiments 

 were made to learn the best manner of handling a winter- 

 injured tree. 



The damage in the spring of 1903 proved to be small, 

 and measures designed to have a corrective effect therefore 

 showed meager results. All the trees came off about equally 

 well, no matter how treated. Some were lightly headed in, 

 some were severely headed in, while a few wore cut back 

 nearly to the main trunk, leaving only the stubs of the main 

 branches. In every case not otherwise to be accounted for 

 the tree recovered and made excellent growth. 



In the spring of 1904 the trees were seriously weakened 

 by freezing, and some were killed outright, so as to be 

 beyond the reach of any remedial treatment. It should be 

 said, however, that the damage proved to be less sweeping 



