22 TREATISE ON THE CULTURE AND 



cover its strength^. When you prune trees in the above 

 state, observe never to prune at a single flower-bud ; if you 

 do, you will be sure to kill the shoot ; or, at least, it will die 

 as far as the next wood-bud. [See Plate 3. Fig* 2.] 



On observing, you will find some shoots, and sometimes 

 whole trees, with nothing but single flower-buds. These sorts 

 of shoots should be laid-in at full length. Always observe 

 the next branch that has got some wood-buds, and cut them 

 close, that they may produce fine wood to supply the place of 

 those that have only flower-buds, which may be cut out next 

 yearf. 



When peaches come into a bearing state, you will, in 

 general, see two flower-buds close together ; if you look be- 

 tween these flower-buds, you will see what is called a wood- 

 bud ; you should always cut at such double buds ; as from be- 

 tween them come out the shoots that produce the fruit for 

 next year. 



If you observe the above rules, you cannot mistake in 

 pruning your peaches. [See Plate 3. Fig. 2.] 



When the trees come into a bearing state, you may keep 

 them in a flourishing one by proper management, and atten- 

 tion to the summer pruning. I have often topped the strong 

 shoots twice in the course of the summer, before I could get 

 them to produce fine kind bearing wood. I have often had 

 shoots that grew, in the course of one summer, upwards of 

 six feet in length, and as thick as my thumb. When such 

 shoots as these are suffered to grow to their full length, the 

 lower part of the wall (or of the standard tree) will be left nak- 

 ed [See the Plate, Fig, 1.] ; besides, these strong shoots ex- 

 haust the tree of its strength, and never produce good wood 

 when you neglect to top them in summer. I would recom- 

 mend to cut out such shoots when the trees are pruned in the 

 spring, and to leave only the fine kind bearing wood, which 

 you may know by two small leaves where the flower-buds will 

 be in the following year ; the strong shoots have only one leaf 

 bud at each eye. You should always rub off" all the useless 

 little shoots, leaving only the best, and these not too near to- 

 gether. Be very particular to pick off" all the side-shoots that 

 come out near the tops of the branches ; which, if left, would 

 weaken the fruit-bearing branches for next year. This should 

 be done as soon as you can lay hold of these shoots with your 



* This precaution, also, is almost entirely neglected in America, 

 t All these directions are of the greatest importance. 



