Thinning Peaches. 235 
little. Each shoot must be cut by itself according to its growth 
ana its ability to carry more or less fruit. Shearing, too, does 
not thin out the shoots but continually multiplies them until 
the tree is as full of brush as a hedge. 
THINNING PEACHES, 
Thinning out fruit on the peach tree is not only the secret 
of obtaining good, marketable fruit, but joins hands with prun- 
ing in preserving the health and future production of the tree. 
The importance of thinning has been urged in a previous chap- 
ter, but the following is a very strong statement, by Mr. Cul- 
bertson:— 
In my experience there is no single operation in connection with truit 
growing of more importance than thinning. The past season, in order to 
test the difference in expense of preparing large and small peaches for dry- 
ing, I timed the cutting, and found it took double the time; hence, double 
the expense, which meant a difference of about $15 per ton of dried 
fruit. Add tothis a difference of two cents per pound in price makes 
‘$55 per ton. Suppose an orchard under good treatment produces a ton 
of peaches to the acre, then $55 would represent the difference in profits. 
Unthinned or small fruit is certainly undesirable. 
As to how much thinning should be done there are diverse opinions. 
Some take off one-half, others three-fourths. Some growers thin to meet a 
certain ideal, but find it difficult to explain in words. The common rule of 
leaving a specimen of fruit every four or six inches is a safe rule; that means 
many must come off. Different conditions of soils, climates and irrigation 
vary the amount to thin out more or less. More may be left where the tree 
is on land giving a strong, vigorous growth. 
In thinning peaches I have been practising a method that ee good 
results and is easily learned. The peach bears on three sizes of branches, 
that are one-eighth, three-sixteenths, and one-fourth of an inch in diameter. 
The first has two peaches, the second three, and the third four; this, of 
course, after there has been a judicious course of pruning and the trees 
under irrigation; trees on dry land should have only one-half as many left. 
To reach this result often a dozen may have to come off, allowing only two 
to remain. The more there are the greater necessity for thinning. 
The time for thinning peaches is as soon as one can be sure which are 
likely to remain on the tree and which will drop of their own accord. 
WORKING OVER PEACH TREES. 
The fashion in peaches changes from time to time according 
to the demands of the canners or the market for dried fruit. 
The grower often finds varieties which he first selected, less 
healthy, less productive, or, for other reason, less desirable than 
others. There is, therefore, often occasion for working over 
trees. Budding is often resorted to, buds being successfully 
set in quite old wood, providing buds from well-matured wood 
are taken. Wood buds from young trees unaccompanied by 
fruit are best, but because of greater certainty of securing the 
variety desired, it is common to take wood and fruit buds to- 
gether from bearing trees. A larger cut of bud and adjacent 
