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divide it so that you can get around the top of the little stick that sticks 

 up there. 



You can go out in General Bidwell's orchard and you will see that the 

 sap certainly has the most powerful tendency to the top of the tree, and so 

 the most rapid growth is always in the top of the tree; when your little 

 tree is cut off after it is set out, the sap goes to the top bud; you ought to 

 be careful in rubbing the buds off, because those buds are the ones that 

 form the future foundation of your tree, three or four or five of them near 

 the top; the sap goes forward to the top, and those buds will start first; 

 some buds below those may start, if they do, pinch them off; don't strip 

 it off but pinch out the tender bud and leave it there two or three inches 

 long, and that will check its growth, and a large portion of the sap will go 

 into the top bud, the one you want to remain there, to form the future head 

 of your tree; let that go, let them all, do not disturb them during the whole 

 summer; but of the ones below, if those should start again go through and 

 pinch them off again, it is not much work — they will remain on the tree, 

 will form a shade to protect the tree from the heat of the sun. 



By training it in this manner it will cause the stock to increase in size, 

 and make it more stout and stocky, and will be better prepared to stand 

 up under the weight of the tree in the future. During the winter after the 

 first summer's growth prune off all those to three or four branches down 

 to about eight inches, leave them about square about eight inches out; then 

 you have your straight stalk with three little branches, eight inches long at 

 the top; that is your tree after it is pruned the second year; next summer 

 let two branches grow on each one of those three or four, as the case may 

 be, near the top. Be careful to cut to an outside bud if you want to spread 

 your tree; if you want to draw your tree in cut to an inside bud; you can 

 all see the reason for that, I think. During the second summer, when you 

 have got your tree with four or five branches started, let two grow on each 

 one of them, pinching back all below those; that is easy, quick work to go 

 through, and pick off the tender buds; let those grow all they will, the more 

 the better. During the next winter cut these all back again to about fifteen 

 inches, then you have got your tree with a main branch, and your three 

 branches, and your six branches. During the next winter cut those six 

 branches back to fifteen inches high, and each one of them will grow out 

 two branches again; if they put out more, pinch them out; you can do it 

 in summer a good deal easier, economizing the growth, economizing the 

 sap, and doing it as you want it, not letting it all grow out, and then throw 

 it away, but you get it when you want it, and utilize it through the season, 

 and through the winter cut them off, and let the tree start again, and then 

 you have your tree with a foundation and three branches, six branches, 

 and twelve branches, more than that is unnecessary; then follow that up 

 the remainder of the life of your tree; so far as that is concerned, you can 

 carry it out to any extent. 



After that cut away about two thirds of last summer's growth during 

 the winter, and when your tree is four years old and upwards, you will 

 then have altogether too much fruit on it if it is a peach, or an apricot, or 

 a plum particularly, any of our pit fruits. The next thing is to go to work 

 and thin that fruit off. Go to work and pull it off with your fingers when 

 it is about the size of the end of your thumb. A practiced man will thin 

 them very fast. I have a Chinaman on my place that can pull them off 

 faster than a man can count them. The rule that I give my man is to let 

 no two peaches, or plums, or nectarines grow closer together than six 

 iuches on the same branch, and in the majority of cases the trees will then 

 have too much fruit on them. I thin my peaches the third time, some of 



