THE PEACH AND NECTARINE. 



129 



Mode of Bearing. The Peach and Nectarine bear their 

 fruit chiefly on shoots of the previous year's growth ; also 

 on spurs. On the former two kinds of buds will be 

 observed, one narrow and pointed, which are growth or 

 Wood buds, and the other short, plump buds, which are 

 fruit buds. Sometimes the latter are borne singly by 

 themselves; in other cases tfiere may be two fruit buds 

 together, or one wood and one fruit bud growing side by 

 side; and in others one wood bud with a fruit bud on 

 each side (Fig. 48). Particular notice should be taken 



Fig. 46. STOPPING PEACH SHOOTS. 



Lateral growths like C C, which grow at the base of fruits, should be shortened 

 to one leaf as shown by short lines. Shoots E and B should be allowed to grow 

 unchecked. 



of these buds, so that, when pruning, the mistake is not 

 made of shortening a shoot to a fruit bud. 



Disbudding. The first stage in pruning a Peach or a 

 Nectarine is the disbudding or removal of superfluous 

 shoots. The object of disbudding is to remove young 

 shoots which, if left to grow, would later on overcrowd 

 the bearing wood. It requires to be done by degrees. 

 First of all, rub off with the finger and thumb all shoots 

 when an inch or so long, that grow out of the front 

 or the back of the branches. Next attend to the young 



