302 



SOILS AND PLANT LIFE 



buds in the late winter with a sharp knife. If the middles 

 are black instead of a healthy green, we need expect no 

 peaches. This, then, will be the year to " head in " our 

 peach trees; that is, the main branches are cut back a 

 part of their length. New twigs will grow vigorously 

 from them to form buds for the next season's crop. 



Apples. — The best 

 form of an apple tree 

 is one which has a 

 low, vase-shaped, open 

 head, or top. In de- 

 veloping a young tree, 

 it is not difficult to 

 produce this vase-like 

 form. Two branches 

 will be found gro\ving 

 from the same limb, 

 one tending to grow 

 upright and the other 

 to spread. The up- 

 right one should be re- 

 moved, and thus the 

 spreading vaselike 

 forms will be de- 

 veloped. 



Even after the tree has reached its full size, the 

 pruning must be continued in about the manner ex- 

 plained below : 



First. — Remove all water sprouts, — those long, slen- 

 der, switchhke branches, which bear no fruit. If, how- 

 ever, a part of the tree top is found vacant, one or more of 

 these water sprouts should be encouraged to grow in that 

 direction. By cutting them back later, we can induce 

 them to bear fruit. 



Fig. 136.- 



Counesy loica State College. 

 Apple tree after pruning. 



