94 



Principles and PraElice of Priming. 



neglected apple-trees, with a view to restoring their vigor and fruit- 

 fulness, is more particularly pointed out on another page ; it may be 

 only necessary here to remark that the chief requisites to keep 

 steadily in view during the operation, are, I. To avoid cutting off 

 large limbs except in cases of absolute necessity. 2. To admit 

 light equally into all parts of the tree by thinning out the branches. 

 3. To remove all crooked or badly growing limbs, and preserve a 

 handsome evenly distributed top. 4. To do the work gradually, or 

 in successive years, and commencing by preference at the top or 

 centre, which will favor an open top. 5. To give a coating on all 

 fresh wounds an inch or more in diameter, of the composition made 

 of shellac dissolved in alcohol, just thick enough to be of the con- 

 sistence of paint. The surface should be allowed to remain unco- 

 vered a few days after the cut is made, in order to become dry. The 

 neatest application is shellac dissolved to the 

 consistency of thick paint in alcohol the handle 

 of the brush being inserted in the cork, it is 

 kept air-tight in drying, and always ready (Fig. 

 121); but fine sand, brick-dust, or powdered 

 chalk, mixed with warm gas-tar, is a good 

 application and much cheaper. Grafting-wax 

 does well, and may be applied with a brush 

 when melted, or in the form of thick plasters. 



Pruning the Peach. No tree requires con- 

 tinued pruning so much as the peach. There is 

 a strong tendency in the terminal buds to push 

 upward and outward, at the expense of the 

 side-shoots, which soon dying, the tree ulti- 

 mately is composed of long, bare poles with 

 only tufts of leaves at their extremities (Fig. 122). It is well known* 

 that young trees bear large, handsome, and excellent fruit, while the 

 old, enfeebled trees yield nothing but small specimens of inferior 

 quality. Continued pruning will prevent this bad result, and pre- 

 serve the heads of old trees in a state of thrifty growth, and they 

 will continue to yield as large and fine fruit as in the first years of 

 bearing. As the peach always bears its fruit on the previous year's 

 growth, and buds never start from old wood, it is important to keep 

 a continued supply of young wood, evenly distributed throughout the 

 head. This can only be done by continued cutting back. The best 

 way to perform this operation is to commence at the close of winter 

 or early in spring, and cut off the upper half or two-thirds of every 

 one-year shoot. If this process is continued from year to year, in 



Fig. i2i. Bottle of shel- 

 lac and brush. 



