59 

 THE PEACH. 



The pruning of this tree we consider the most intri- 

 cate of all, but it is very simple when the idea is once grasped. 

 The fruit is carried on the new wood, i.e., the wood of the pre- 

 vious season's growth. The one object then is to induce the 

 growth of new or bearing wood, which is done by heavy cutting 

 back and thinning out. It must be remembered that however 

 much growth is forced out, one can part with just as much as 

 one considers desirable, leaving such shoots as will most evenly 

 distribute the fruit over the entire bearing-surface of the tree. 



In taking the tree after its second season's growth, one will 

 probably find a fair number of double and treble buds on the 

 shoots thrown out, which are the fruit-yielding buds, as the peach 

 is a very precocious bearer, carrying a crop in its third year. The 

 system to be pursued at this pruning and at every subsequent 

 annual one is the same, a more or less severe cutting-back and 

 thinning-out, and a glance at each individual tree will show where 

 the fruit for the coming season is being carried. 



Should the tree be what is called well set to fruit, a greater 

 amount of cutting clean away can be done. If the fruit is being 

 carried near the base of the new growth, the shortening-in must 

 be heavy, cutting away about three-quarters. Should the tree 

 make a poor show for fruit, more wood must be left ; and if the 

 fruit is carried near the ends of the new growth very little 

 'shortening-in must be done, but a heavier course of thinning-out. 



Taking an average tree, fairly set to fruit, the new growth 

 retained must be shortened-in to one-half of its former length, 

 and this wood must be spread over each individual branch by 

 cutting out usually the most upright and central growth. It must 

 be remembered that this central and strongest growth is, as a rule, 

 the most unsatisfactory for bearing. Examine your branches 

 and you will often see that you can cut away this strong growth, 

 and retain a couple of thinner and thoroughly ripened bearing 

 shoots below, thus bringing the tree two feet or three feet lower 

 at a cut, and at the same time retaining the best bearing wood. 

 We may say that one can cut into the old wood of a peach tree 

 with impunity, and we should frequently do it should we have 

 desirable bearing wood below in order to bring the tree down. 

 What one has to remember in cutting is to spread the shoots one 

 wishes to retain by cutting out the centre. It is not advisable 

 to cut clean away well-ripened wood thrown out from the main 

 limbs, but to shorten them in, and they will carry fruit of an ex- 

 cellent quality safely. At the same time there are very frequent- 

 ly thrown out a number of sappy, unripened shoots in the centre 

 of the tree where the sun has had no opportunity of playing; 

 these should be in every instance cut clean away. 



