1908.] 



Pruning of the Peach. 



665 



corrected by root pruning before a fruiting habit is secured. 

 A grower who finds that his trees are making summer breast- 

 wood four or five feet long, and from half an inch to an inch 

 thick, should certainly lift the trees and prune the roots'; 

 but inasmuch as this operation takes up valuable time, he 

 should take care to avoid the necessity for it in future plantings 

 by using a compost containing less manure. It is generally 

 found that turfy loam, with a barrow load of lime rubbish 

 to every cartload, gives the right kind of growth. The wood 

 resulting from such a compost is neither puny nor luxuriant, 

 but is of medium strength and well furnished with flower 

 buds. 



Subsequent Pruning. — Returning to the formation of our 

 tree, we find that at the end of the second season the lower 

 part is well furnished ; but further extension is needed, and 

 this is best secured by yet another shortening. The third 

 cutting back need not be anything like so severe as the first 

 and second were. It will suffice if the branches are shortened 

 to the extent of one-third. 



We see, then, that the framework of the tree is secured by 

 three prunings : (1) the heading back of the maiden tree, 

 (2) the severe shortening of the second season tree, (3) the 

 moderate shortening of the third season tree. Further cutting 

 back will not be necessary unless the tree is weak, or there 

 is a great extent of space to be covered. Indeed, the grower 

 must guard against excess in shortening, or it may lead to 

 overcrowding of the main branches — and this is a thing to be 

 avoided. They ought to be about a foot apart, as this permits 

 of the fruiting breastwood being tied in between them without 

 any crowding. 



Breastwood. — The management of the breastwood should 

 now engage attention, and whether the trees be trained to 

 walls, roof wires or trellises the procedure is the same. The 

 object of the cultivator is to provide an annual succession 

 of summer shoots, in order that the growths which have borne 

 fruit may be cut away, and their places taken by new ones. 

 Not only should there be a sufficient number of new growths 

 every year, but they should be of a certain degree of vigour. 

 If they are very thick and long they are too gross and sappy 

 to form plump fruit buds ; if very small they bear poor fruit. 



