76 



THE MODERN PEACH PRUNER. 



budding were added. It is evident that instruc- 

 tions of this brief and general nature presupposed 

 a larger acquaintance with the subject than usually 

 occurs with amateurs, and, being unaccompanied 

 by illustrations, they, though written by first-class 

 growers, failed to teach much. On the other hand, 

 in such a plain matter as pruning the Peach, it is 

 really absurd to attempt to teach it by elaborate 

 and complicated rules. Much of the present style 

 is of this kind (especially on the Continent), and 

 on this account will never be acceptable to English 

 gardeners. The excessively long pruning practised 

 in the days of our fathers was, however, almost as 

 pedantic, and as strange to read of now. Here we 

 find the traditional " good supply of young shoots, 

 and thinning out the old and unproductive ones as 

 soon as they appear naked," &c. Then comes the 

 direction to lay in the " shoots of medium size, 

 and full of flower-buds, at full length, from two to 

 three inches apart." " All forerights and super- 

 numeraries to be rubbed off during the summer 

 months, as soon as they have reached an inch in 

 length." In this case no cluster-spurs could be 

 retained; and it is evident that, there being no 

 mention of disbudding in this case, the long shoots, 

 laid in closely, must have crowded the tree, and 

 caused much overgrowth. What the tree must 

 have looked like at the winter pruning it is im- 



