THE PEACH , 81 



down from a weight of fruit than upon a head formed in 

 the ordinary way. But whatever method is practiced, 

 the head should be formed at the earliest possible time 

 and a central growth be developed from which the 

 laterals shall come out on all sides of the tree and at it 

 little distance apart. During the summer only those 

 branches should be allowed to grow that are needed to 

 establish the head and all others be pinched off before 

 they have taken the strength of needed parts of the tree. 



At the end of the second season or before the 

 growth of the third begins, the young trees should be 

 put in as perfect form as is possible, as a rule cutting 

 back the young wood about one-half, varying this, how- 

 ever, to give^perfect form to the tree. 



Orchard Care The planting of the tree and after 

 care is practically the same as for the apple, with slight 

 variations as to pruning and cultivation. The habit 

 of the peach tree is such that the growth is made largely 

 at the ends of the leading branches, so that in a few 

 years, if unpruned, the branches become long and with 

 few laterals, so that when loaded with fruit the trees 

 break very easily. To overcome this habit severe prun- 

 ing must be practiced. This is done in several ways, 

 some cutting back all of the last season's growth one- 

 half, but if this is done by rule the tree will be irregular 

 in form and too many small shoots will be developed 

 in tufts at the ends of the branches that will require 

 much labor to thin out, or the work will be neglected 

 and poor growth of the tree and fruit also will be the 

 result. In this work it is better to first cut out any 

 large branches that may make the head of the tree 

 too close or give it an imperfect form and then head 

 back some of the strongest shoots, not many, which 

 will tend to increase the growth of the remaining lat- 

 erals, and the fruit will be so distributed over the tree 

 as not to be easily broken down by weight of fruit or 



