266 



PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OF PRUNING 



the ground; so in the course of five or six years, even when the 

 trees are regularly pruned, it is necessary to use high step-ladders 

 to harvest the crop. Every few years dehorning becomes advisable 

 to keep the trees within reasonable limits. 



Moreover, when the fruiting wood is permitted to form prin- 

 cipally toward the outer parts of the main limbs the bark of those 

 near the base of the tree is open to sun scald during winter, thus 

 shortening the life of the tree. The difficulty of spraying and har- 

 vesting is greatly increased when the trees are high. For all which 

 reasons it is desirable to keep the crowns of peach trees as close 

 to the ground as possible. 



In order to get a full crop from a low-crowned tree, however, 

 approximately as much fruit-bearing wood is necessary as in trees 



FIG. 228 GREENSBORO, FIVE YEARS OLD, NOT SUMMER PRUNED 



of the usual shape. The purpose of summer pruning is to enable 

 the tree to develop fruiting wood on the lower part of the main or 

 skeleton branches, which are usually bare. 



Seventy trees, including early and late varieties, were set 18 x 20 

 feet. In the following spring one-year-old trees were interplanted 

 for a peach borer investigation, so since then the trees have stood 

 9 x 10 feet. As the trees came into bearing it was deemed desirable 

 to ascertain how long they could be kept profitable at this close dis- 



