10 THE FRUIT-TREE AND SHRUB PRUNER. 



fast by strong nails and shreds, always taking care 

 that the nails are on the pulling side of the branch. 

 Be careful not to let the nail come in contact with the 

 wood, and never strike the tree with the hammer, for 

 each of these things will cause gum. The next thing 

 to do is to equally divide the second leaders, b b b b b b ; 

 then the laterals, c c c c c c; always observing the 

 same rules respecting the direction of the branches, 

 division, and position of the nails. 



In my opinion the winter pruning of the Peach is 

 best deferred until February or March, not because you 

 can see better what to cut out and what to leave in, but 

 because the trees are better able to resist the severe 

 vicissitudes of such a fickle climate as ours ; nor are the 

 wounds then exposed to the drying and often pro- 

 tracted frosts, which will have the effect of producing 

 crippled shoots in the following spring, besides, in 

 some cases, causing dead limbs. 



Each tree, as soon as it is pruned, should be nailed 

 or trained in without delay ; and as at this time of the 

 season the fruit buds will be very prominent, great 

 care is needed to avoid rubbing them off. If the walls 

 are of brick — which are the best — no doubt wires to 

 train them on may be good, because then the heat 

 given off by the bricks will be enough, and will be 

 more equalised than it is when the fruit is close to 

 them, which often has the effect of scorching it. But 

 if the walls are of stone, in certain seasons some diffi- 

 culty may be felt as regards the ripening of the fruit 

 on wires. The fruit will always be later on stone than 

 on brick walls. 



Summer Pruning and Training. 



This consists in disbudding useless wood buds, i.e. all 

 foreright buds, and some lateral ones not likely to be 

 required. All buds that appear in front of the branches, 

 so that they will not conveniently lay in either on one 

 side or the other, must be rubbed off, and as soon as 

 the young growth is long enough to nail in, it should 

 be done, and all crippled leaves removed from the 



