THE PEACH AND NECTARINE. 153 



dition, being well furnished from top to bottom with 

 young bearing wood. Taking a young tree, fig. 15, 

 which I have recommended for planting as the 

 foundation of a fan-trained tree, different cultivators 

 who are most in favour of this system of training 

 would deal differently with the ten young growths 

 with which it is furnished. Some would cut them 

 all back again to within five or six buds of their base; 

 others would not shorten them at all, but would let 

 them start into growth with as many young shoots as 

 could be tied to the trellis without crowding them. 

 What I have practised and would recommend is a mean 

 between these two. The two centre shoots I would 

 shorten back to half their length, the other eight 

 shoots to be merely topped back to solid, well-ripened 

 wood. The cutting somewhat closely back of the two 

 centre ones makes it certain that two or three good 

 strong growths will start from near their base to pro- 

 perly fill up the centre of the tree with leaders. Each 

 of the other eight shoots should have all their buds 

 removed by degrees, except one near the base, and 

 one or two at equal distances between it and the lead- 

 ing bud, according to the length of the shoots. Two 

 buds to the left on the under side — if the shoots are 

 long enough to have room for three on the upper side, 

 the buds on the one side to alternate in position with 

 those on the other. These lateral growths, with the 

 leader, are enough to lay a foundation to serve for the 

 future full-grown tree. The lateral growths should be 

 allowed to grow without being stopped. Should the 

 leaders show signs of growing very vigorously at the 

 expense of the side growths, stop them whenever they 

 show such a tendency. This will cause them to make 

 lateral growths freely, and equally balance the growth 



