156 FRUIT-GROWING 



or less resembling the original tree as it came 

 from the nursery. These sprouts are treated 

 as was the nursery tree — they are cut back to 

 stubs and the same process followed until the 

 third or fourth year. By that time the tree will 

 be large enough to begin to bear some fruit. 

 (A tree may bear a few peaches earlier than 

 the third or fourth year if it is left unpruned, 

 but it is best to defer bearing until the tree 

 is large enough to sustain a profitable crop.)' 



After the tree begins to bear the pruning is 

 much less extensive than in the early years 

 but, unlike the apple, some pruning should be 

 done every year. The reason for this is that 

 the peach bears its fruit on the wood of the 

 previous season's growth and it is desirable to 

 encourage a certain amount of new growth 

 each season and thus provide for regular crops. 



There is room for a difference of opinion re- 

 garding the methods of cultivation for the ap- 

 ple, but I believe that most growers agree that 

 the peach thrives best under a strict system of 

 clean cultivation. It must be remembered that 

 it is a fast growing tree, demanding a constant 

 supply of moisture and an unfailing supply of 

 plant food. Nothing conserves moisture so 

 well as does clean cultivation and the food 

 must be supplied either in the form of natural 

 fertility or by the application of manure and 

 commercial fertilizers. 



