CLOSE PRUNING BY ALTERNATE SHOOTS. 121 



it may fairly be questioned whether the general 

 vigour, and necessary progress of the entire tree 

 may not be prejudiced by this restraint placed on 

 them. In a semi-tropical sunshine, with a dry 

 and ripening autumn, and planted in a rich soil, 

 Peach-trees would certainly thrive under this very 

 close treatment ; but in our uncertain, damp, and 

 comparatively sunless atmosphere, the balance be- 

 tween the roots and leaves might become unequal. 

 It must not, also, be forgotten, that one chief aim 

 of M. Grin's system is to produce those two-year- 

 old clusters (class 5), which are known to bear the 

 finest fruit. When, therefore, several of these 

 valuable groups are formed at the base of the 

 spur, the upper growths become of secondary im- 

 portance. This is essentially orchard-house pru- 

 ning, but it does not admit of that scope and large- 

 ness of treatment which is required for open-air 

 work, especially in England. 



For similar reasons, after many experiments, I 

 think that pruning to three leaves as soon as. six 

 are formed (which style I advocated in " Cordon 

 Training/' published five years ago), although an 

 admirable system for trees under glass, is not, on 

 the whole, sufficiently long to meet all the acci- 

 dents and risks that the Peach has to undergo. 



Pruning to six or eight leaves, provided care 

 w r as taken to insure the early formation of the fruit- 



