Book I. 



PEACH. 



717 



to the main stem, all other branches than those absolutely needed for furnishing the tree. He trains 

 regularly to the right and left j but the weaker branches receive less inclination, or are placed more up- 

 right than the stronger ones, that this more favorable position may give them energy, and bring them to 

 an equality of vigor with the stronger branches which are laid in horizontally. At the first regular form- 

 ing or cutting in, about a year and a half after planting, the branches are reduced to two on each side ; 

 and at the next pruning, one branch is removed on each side, leaving the tree to be formed only of two 

 principal branches, and those the most equally balanced as to general form and promise. If the first 

 year's growth do not yield two sufficiently good leading branches, they are sought from the growth of the 

 second year ; the best branch of the former year is now, with this view, trained upright as a stem, and 

 two leading branches or arms are derived from it in the succeeding season. In subsequent years the 

 pruning is conducted on similar principles. It is a common rule to leave two secondary arms, of 

 nearly equal strength, and about two feet apart, on each side. In trees managed in the way now described, 

 the sap seems to be equally distributed ; at least, the trees exhibit, upon the whole, a great equality of 

 branches, both as to size or strength, and as to furniture of twigs, leaves, and fruit. Continued care is 

 exercised to keep both sides of the tree equally balanced as to vigor. If one principal arm become 

 stronger than the other, a few robbers are allowed to push for a time on the weak arm, with the view of 

 drawing an increase of sap to that side of the tree, till the equilibrium be restored : or, the weak arm is 

 altogether raised a little more towards the vertical, while the stronger is depressed more to the horizontal, 

 and thus an equality is gradually accomplished. The lambourdes, or robbers, it may be added, with due 

 management, frequently afford the healthiest and best wood. They are cut down to a foot and a half, 

 leaving one or two buds as near as possible to the trunk of the tree ; the resulting shoots are laid in, and 

 form good fruit-bearing wood the next season. The annual shoots are left of different lengths, according 

 to the vigor of the tree, from one foot to three feet. There are two kinds of shoots, such as are the 

 produce both of the early spring and of the summer flow of sap, and such as result from the latter only. 

 The former are preferred, and axe caWeA rameaux s the latter are distinguished as ?ww?7/es. When the 

 tree reaches the top of the wall, tlie cutting in is discontinued, and the pruning extends only to shortening 

 the leading shoots, or, in some cases, bending them till they be confined about two or three inches below the 

 coping of the wall. In this way the equable distribution of the sap in the central parts of the tree is pro- 

 moted. In the regular course of pruning, all branchlets that show fruit-buds only, or are thought to contain 

 no others, are sacrificed without mercy. This would appear absurd to any one not a horticulturist, but 

 if such branchlets do exist, their excision is quite prudent ; for wood-buds or shoots are like pumps, to 

 draw sap towards the branchlets ; and if they be wanting, the blossom on the twig commonly fails to set ; 

 or if the fruit form, it soon falls off", or at all events, is deficient in size and flavor. From four to eight 

 flower-buds are left on each twig, according to its strength, and a wood-bud at the extremity, when it can 

 be there had, or between two flower-buds near the extremity. When this wood-bud expands into a shoot, 

 the shoot is shortened to an inch or so in length, and this remains as the pump for drawing sap to the four 

 or eight fruit-buds of the twig. Other wood-shoots, as they are called, which may appear below the 

 fruit-buds, or nearer to the main branches, are cut down to one or two eyes. Mozard likewise resorts to 

 disbudding, although little or no notice is taken of that practice in his work. {Hort. Tom; 452.) 



4505. Sieulle, gardener at Vauz Pra;slin, adopts, for the first two years, a different mode of training 

 and pruning from that of Mozard. The distinguishing characteristics of Sieulle's method are applicable 

 only to very young peach-trees, in their first and second years. In the first year he does not at all cut or 

 shorten the two original or principal branches, called the mere branches. The young tree has only to be 

 fixed to the wall or treUis, requirmg no other treatment till the fall of the leaf By leaving these mere 

 branches at full length, and only disbudding late in the autumn, the vigor of the young tree is greatly 

 promoted. He trains these principal branches to a much wider angle than the Montreuil gardeners, per- 

 haps 60° or 65° instead of 45°. At the approach of winter he practises Vebourgeonnement cL sec, leaving 

 only four buds on each branch, and removing the rest neatly with a sharp knife. At Montreuil the mere 

 branches are cut in or shortened in the first year, and disbudding is delayed till the leaves be developed in 

 the following year. By disbudding at this season the young tree not only suffers an unnecessary check or 

 injury, but the consequence is that the buds left, instead of forming good shoots, develope themselves into 

 numerous brindilles. Late in the autumn of the second year, Sieulle cuts in, to the extent of one third, 

 the four lateral branches produced on each of his mere branches. In the following year, he disbuds the 

 lateral branches to the extent of one half ; and in the future management he practises winter disbudding 

 greatly in place of pruning, a practice long ago strongly recommended by Nicol in his horticultural writ- 

 ings. By Sieulle's method, Du Petit Thouars remarks, the young tree is more quickly brought to fill 

 its place on the espalier ; it is afterwards much more easily kept in regular order : many poorer flower- 

 buds are allowed to unfold themselves, but the necessity of thinning the fruit is thus in a great measure 

 superseded, and the peaches produced are larger and finer. {Hort. Tour, 479.) 



4506. Thmning the fruit. " In favorable seasons, the blossoms often set more fruit 

 than they can support, or than have room to attain full grow^th ; and if all were to remain, 

 it would hurt the trees in their future bearing : therefore they should be timely thinned, 

 when of the size of large peas or half-grown gooseberries. There should be a preparatory 

 thinning before the time of stoning, and a final thinning afterwards, because most plants, 

 especially such as have overborne themselves, drop many fruit at that crisis. Finish the 

 thinning with great regularity, leaving those retained at proper distances, three, four, or 

 five, on strong shoots, two or three on middling, and one or two on the weaker shoots ; 

 and never leaving more than one peach at the same eye. The fruit on weakly trees, 

 thin more in proportion." (^jibercrombie.) 



4507. Renovating old decaying trees. Head down, and renew the soil from an old up- 

 land pasture, and if-the bottom of the border is moist, or if the roots have gone more than 

 two feet, or two and a half feet downwards, pave the bottom, or otherwise render it 

 dry and impervious to roots at the depth of twenty inches, or two feet from the surface. 

 This plan will be found almost universally successful in restoring suflScient vigor, to 

 resist insects and diseases, and produce abundance of fruit. 



4508. Protecting blossom. This may require to be done by some of the various modes 

 already enumerated. (2206. to 2218.) Forsyth recommends old netting as the best 

 covering. 



4509. Harrison protects his trees from the frost, in the month of January, by branches of broom : these 

 are previously steeped in soap-suds, mixed with one-third of urine, for forty-eight hours, in order to clear 

 them from insects, and when dry, disposed thinly over the whole tree, letting them remain on only until 

 the trees begin to break into leaf. At the time of the blooming and setting of the fruit he applies cold 

 water in the following manner : viz. If upon visiting the trees, before the sun is up, in the morning, af- 

 ter a frosty night, he finds that there is any appearance of frost in the bloom or young fruit, he waters 

 the bloom or young fruit thoroughly with cold water, from the garden-engine ; and he affiims, that even 



