PEACH AND NECTARINE. 107 



forming, as it were, the framework of the future tree. 

 These mother branches are occasionally raised or de- 

 pressed, so as to maintain their equilibrium, and are as 

 much encouraged to grow outwards as is consistent 

 with the regular filling up of the tree. The laterals 

 are carefully thinned out (by pinching off with the 

 fingers) in summer ; and the remainder are nailed in, to 

 afi^ord subordinate members and bearing wood. When 

 the centre of the tree has been filled up, all the training 

 necessary is merely to prevent the inferior members 

 from acquiring an undue ascendency over the mother 

 branches. It is highly advantageous to have abun- 

 dant space, and to draw the tree outwards, so that it 

 be thin, but nowhere destitute of young shoots. 



Meanwhile the pruning for fruit has been going on. 

 This consists in shortening down the laterals which had 

 been nailed in at the disbudding, or summer pruning. 

 Their length will depend on their individual vigor, and 

 the luxuriance of the tree. The buds, which are gene- 

 rally double, or rather two together, with a fruit bud 

 between them, seldom occur quite close to the insertion 

 of the shoot. Perhaps two or three pairs are left with 

 a wood bud at the point to afford a growing shoot, in 

 order to act a« its lungs, for it is necessary that there 

 should be leaves above the fruit. The extent of thin- 

 ning of the fruit must depend on the vigor of the tree ; 

 a pair of, fruit to each square foot of wall being an ave- 

 rage allowance. When the fruit begins to swell, the 

 point of this leading shoot is pinched oiT, that it may 

 not drain away the sap. Any young shoot from the 

 wood-eyes at the base of the bearing branch is carefully 

 preserved, and in the following winter it takes the place 

 of the branch whieh has borne fruit, and is cut out. If 



