108 Fruit-growing in Arid Regions 



neglected, this tree should sound a warning to the proud 

 possessor of a promising young peach orchard. 



To secure the top well spread and the fruiting-wood 

 near the ground, it is necessary to prune severely and 

 possibly to outside buds or branches. As a rule the two- 

 year-old tree should not stand higher than four feet after 

 pruning. A tree pruned in this way and kept growing 

 thriftily will produce very few fruit-buds for the follow- 

 ing year's crop. With moderate growth produced by 

 judicious watering, the young tree may carry a few speci- 

 mens in its third season and produce a good supply of 

 fruit-buds for the following season. The young tree will 

 do well to produce a box of fruit the fourth season, with an 

 increase of 2 boxes per year for the next 7 years. The 

 peach orchard will rarely more than hold its own after 

 the twelfth year, but individual trees well formed and 

 well pruned may occasionally yield as high as 20 boxes 

 of fancy fruit per year. 



In pruning the peach trees set as fillers in the apple 

 orchard, a more moderate system might well be adopted. 

 The second and third spring prunings should be light, 

 hardly more than a little thinning-out. The extra amount 

 of wood left will tend to check the rampant growth of the 

 tree and encourage the formation of flower-buds. While 

 it means a sacrifice as regards the shape and profitable 

 bearing life of the tree, early bearing is, in this instance, 

 more to be desired than long life. Peach trees set as 

 fillers should never reach maturity. Heavy watering, 

 however, may counteract light pruning, and the grower 

 may easily defeat the purpose of the pruner by forcing 

 the growth. 



