114 THE MODERN PEACH PRUNER. 



bearers, as required. On the spurs situated on the 

 upper sides of each leading branch, one shoot will 

 suffice to bear the next season's crop ; but on the 

 spurs situated on the lower sides of the leading 

 branches, it is better to leave two shoots. AH 

 these shoots are now cut back to two good eyes. 

 This constitutes the general winter pruning. 



The first summer operations commence in the 

 middle of April, in ordinary seasons; or in the 

 beginning of May, in backward years. At this 

 time the number of shoots to be left is finally 

 settled. As they develope themselves their true 

 character is best seen, and our author has taken 

 care to have an abundant reserve, which is one 

 excellent result of all close pruning — plenty to 

 choose from, but no useless growth. Some of 

 the shoots vary much in character. " Here, for 

 instance," said our author to me, " we have a shoot 

 with only a bouquet de mai (cluster spur, Class 5) 

 at its base, while all the shoot above this cluster is 

 bare for, perhaps, two inches." We therefore prefer 

 to cut down the shoot to this single cluster, and we 

 know how to make it either bear a wood-shoot or 

 fruit. If the former is decided on, w r e shall have 

 to bisect all the flower-buds, and then the central 

 wood-bud will extend freely, which it otherwise 

 would not do. (Here we find bisecting recom- 

 mended instead of the too common plan of dis- 



