662 



Pruning of the Peach. 



[FEB., 



all under Prunus ; but practical horticulturists are compelled 

 to draw a wide distinction between peaches and the sister 

 fruits just named, for cultural reasons. One of the most 

 important of these is pruning. The fruiting system of the 

 peach is dissimilar from that of the apricot, the plum and the 

 " heart " cherries, consequently a different method of pruning 

 is required. 



Broadly, the peach (with which is included the nectarine) 

 is a young wood fruiter, and the others are " spur " fruiters ; 

 that is to say, the peach bears its fruit on the long, slender 



fig. i. — Maiden tree (one year old from the bud) :— (A), moderately vigorous, 

 with firm, well ripened wood : (a), stock ; {b), junction of stock and scion (bud) ; 

 (<r), point of shortening to five buds. (B), a stronger tree, but somewhat gross and the 

 wood immature (very liable to gumming) : (d), laterals ; (<?), point of shortening to 

 unstarted buds on firm, ripened wood. Tree (A) is a better type than tree (B), but 

 both will succeed if pruned hard as shown. 



side shoots (collectively described as " breast- wood ."), that 

 push from the main branches; and the apricot, "heart" 

 cherry and plum bear fruit on the short, generally older out- 

 growths of the main stems, which gardeners call " spurs." 

 It is true that peaches may be manipulated in such a way 

 as to induce them to fruit on spurs, and this method is adopted 

 with pot trees. It is also true that " heart " cherries, plums 

 sometimes, and apricots often, bear on young wood ; but these 

 are the exceptions, not the rule. 



Believers in non-pruning argue that a fruit tree which 

 bears on young wood merely requires to be left to grow, and 



