164 



FRUIT TREES. 



at A; the lower part E being intended to bear tlie 

 succession of fruit-branches, is called the stock-branch. 

 The branch B is selected for a new fruit-branch, and 

 must be cut at B, reserving a number of the fruit- 

 buds. The branch D, intended to replace branches 

 that have borne once and are now useless, must be 

 cut at D immediately above two wood-buds, the 

 nearest to the base, which will furnish two new 

 fruit-branches for the following year, and which must 

 be cut as we shall describe. It follows that the stock- 

 branch will bear every year two new fruit-branches, 

 one furthest removed from the main branch, and 

 which is cut long, while the other, the replacer nearest 

 the base, is cut short above two of the lower buds. 

 This is called crochet pruning. 



Sometimes the branch B, the best situated for 

 fruit-bearing, is without flower-buds. As it is too 

 far from the main branch to be the replacer, we cut 

 the primitive fruit-branch at E, and the branch D is 

 cut at F above one or two flower-buds, to serve as 

 replacers when wanted. 



If there are no buds on any of these branches, we 

 cut the primitive branch at E, and then the branch 

 F at D. 



All the other branches having received, during the 

 preceding winter and summer, operations intended to 

 give them the form we have described, the same mode 

 of treatment must be applied to them. 



It is important to remove every year, at the time 

 of the winter pruning, the tail ends of the peach stems, 

 which would otherwise injure the circulation of the 



