PRUNING MATURE TREES 



261 



and methods for peach pruning in the tropical climate of the low- 

 lands in Hawaii, have shown best results when practically the whole 

 top is renewed annually. The pruning is done in June very soon 

 after the gathering of the fruit. Although the foliage is almost 

 entirely removed, the trees soon send out many new branches, 

 which grow vigorously until winter, when they begin maturing 

 fruit buds. All suckers not needed to improve the shape of the tree 

 are removed. 



FIG. 223 ONE SEASON'S GROWTH OF EIGHT-YEAR PEACH AFTER CUTTING 

 BACK TO MERE BRANCH STUBS FOLLOWING SEVERE WINTER INJURY 



203. Peach pruning experiments.* Experiments conducted by 

 J. C. Whitten to determine the best method of pruning peach trees, 

 especially those injured by winter, have yielded the following sum- 

 marized results. 



1. Under normal conditions, when peach trees have passed the 

 winter safely and promise to produce a crop of fruit, they should 

 be pruned [late] each winter by cutting back the main limbs, so as 



* Missouri Station Bulletin 55. 



