THE CHERRY, PLUM, PRUNE, APRICOT, AND PEACH. 191 



making greatest length, to prevent unequal growth and to 

 lessen the amount of bearing wood. 



The domestica plums and the apricot seem to bear exces- 

 sive cutting back of the top. In California and the South 

 the low stem is now the rule, and when first set out the 

 stems are protected by burlap or whitewashing. But on 

 very rich lands a kind of renewal system is adopted with 

 the tops. As an instance, in the San Joaquin valley on 

 the west coast the tops of young plum-trees and even 

 apricots are not cut back. The long shoots formed are 

 thinned to some extent and encouraged to bend over. 

 These when loaded with fruit rest their points on the 

 ground. When these long canes droop too low they are 

 cut back to the main stem and others take their place for 

 the succeeding crop. But trees worked in this way are 

 not as long lived as those on higher land pruned in a 

 sensible way. The pruning of the peach and apricot in 

 the commercial centres is often excessive (149), but ama- 

 teurs in the Middle States usually go to the other extreme 

 by mainly leaving Nature to have her own way. 



With few exceptions, growing out of soil conditions and 

 climate, Downing's instructions as given in (149) will 

 apply well to-day in amateur peach- and apricot-growing, 

 but not in commercial centres, as the shortening of all 

 new growth gives more trouble and expense after the trees 

 are in bearing than the rougher plan of thinning by cut- 

 ting out superfluous branches. 



Where winter-killing of the new wood is liable to occur, 

 the pruning is deferred until the buds start in spring, and 

 the thinning is confined in the unfavorable seasons to the 

 injured wood, being careful not to injure the live buds. 



190. Thinning the Fruit. As a general rule amateurs 

 and home-growers of the domestica plums and peaches 

 never think of thinning the fruit, even in seasons when 



