PHUKING. 213 



too, one bud is left on the lower side of the shoot (Fig. 48). This would 

 be removed at a later stage, as a leading shoot and another proceeding 

 from the base of the shoot (Pig. 47) would be quite as many as there were 

 room for. The process of disbudding should also be tentative. A few 

 a day from each shoot is far pr,eferable to the removal of all at 

 once, yhere is no better mode of disbudding than the rubbing or 

 picking them off with finger and thumb. The later ones, however, 

 that may have partially developed into shoots, may be removed with a 

 sharp knife. Cordon peaches (Figs. 40 and 41) should not be disbudded 

 like other trees. The object with these is to remove as many buds or 



Fia. 49. 



centres of fertility as possible ; consequently, each bud may be allowed to 

 break into a shoot and form at least two or more leaves ; these short 

 branches to be cut closely back at the winter pruning, as shown 

 in Fig. 41. This system of close stopping when persisted in 

 forces the peach to form spurs ; and from these or the base 

 of the incipient shoots there is seldom any difficulty in furnishing 

 sufficient fruit buds to produce a plentiful crop. A common arrange- 

 ment of peach buds is one fruit bud supported by two wood 

 ones or fruit buds in clusters of three or more, and iu cordon 

 peaches two wood buds are not unfrequently allowed to remain, and be 

 pinched back one on each side of the fruit instead of one bud only, as 

 shown in Fig. 40. Figs. 49, 50, and 51 illustrate the process of 

 summer stopping and some of the more obvious results. Fig. 49 shows 



