THE PEACH AND NECTARINE. 



495 



of fig. 224. At the following pruning season 

 the two uppermost shoots are cut back to 

 their eyes, a a, placed in such a manner as to 

 throw out one leading shoot, and one shoot on 

 each side ; the two lowermost shoots are cut 

 back to two eyes, b b, so as to throw out one 

 leading shoot, and one shoot on the uppermost 

 side. The tree has then the appearance of fig. 

 225, having five leading shoots on each side, and 



Fig. 225. 



systems to which this class of trees is subjected, 

 consists in preserving a sufficient quantity of 

 young wood at the bottom of the tree ; and on 

 no account must the pruner cut clean away any 

 shoots so placed without well considering if it will 

 be wanted, not only for the present, but for the 

 future good appearance of the tree." Fig. 226 is 

 a figure of a tree so managed in a more advanced 

 state, in which it will be observed that the five 



Fig. 226. 



KENDALL S MODE OF PEACH-TRAINING. 



which are to form the first stage of the future 

 tree. These ten shoots must be placed in the 

 exact position in which they are to remain, and 

 none of them are to be shortened. The third 

 year, each of the ten leading shoots must be al- 

 lowed to produce two other shoots on the up- 

 permost side — one of those near the bottom, and 

 the other about the middle of the shoot, and a 

 third shoot from the under side of each — about 

 half-way between those left on the upper side. 

 The leading shoots should be allowed to extend 

 without shortening. All shoots except those 

 enumerated should be removed by disbudding. 

 From the commencement of the fourth year 

 fruit may be allowed to be produced, in quan- 

 tity according to the strength of the tree, for 

 nothing is so injurious to the peach as to allow 

 it to produce fruit during its second and third 

 years, if the object be to have healthy and long- 

 lived trees. From the end of the third year, 

 all the shoots excepting the leading ones must 

 be shortened at the season of pruning, but 

 to what length will depend on the vigour 

 of the tree and judgment of the operator, 

 bearing in mind that the stronger the tree the 

 shoots should be laid in at greater length than 

 when the tree is weakly ; and care should also 

 be taken that the young wood be not retained 

 too thick. In shortening the shoots at the 

 autumn or winter pruning, Mr Kendall recom- 

 mends " cutting close to the bud, so that the 

 wound may heal the following season." This 

 operation has been questioned by Mr Beaton 

 and others, who say the cut should be made at 

 some distance above the bud. To this we will 

 have afterwards to refer. The following season 

 each shoot at the extremity of the leading 

 bi-anches should produce, besides the leading 

 shoot, one on the upper, and two on the under 

 part, more or less, according to the vigour of 

 the tree : whilst each of the secondary branches 

 should produce, besides the leading shoot, one 

 other, placed near to the bottom ; " for the grand 

 art of pruning," Mr Kendall observes, " in all 



leading shoots laid in at full length when the tree 

 was as is represented by fig. 224, are quite trace- 

 able in the advanced stateof the tree, fig. 226, and 

 form its chief ramifications, the secondary and 

 young yearling wood filling up the spaces be- 

 tween them. The general equilibrium of the 

 tree is maintained by laying a greater quantity 

 of wood, during summer, where the leading or 

 secondary branches show too much vigour, as 

 well as allowing a greater quantity of fruit to 

 be produced on them also. Where debility ap- 

 pears in the case of others, a completely opposite 

 course is adopted. 



" Whatever system of training," Mr Kendall 

 observes, "is to be pursued, the leading branches 

 should be laid in in the exact position they are 

 to remain ; for whenever a large branch is 

 brought down to fill the lower part of the wall, 

 the free ascent of the sap is obstructed by the 

 extension of the upper and contraction of the 

 lower parts of the branch. It is thus robbed 

 of part of its former vigour, whilst it seldom 

 fails to throw out, immediately behind the part 

 most bent, one or more vigorous shoots. To 

 assist the young practitioner in laying in the 

 leading branches of the tree, the following 

 method may be acceptable : Drive a nail into 

 the wall, exactly where the centre of the tree is 

 to be, then with a string and chalk describe a 

 semicircle of any diameter ; divide the quadrant 

 into 90°; the lower branch will then take an 

 elevation of about 1 2°, the second of about 27|°, 

 the third about 43°, the fourth 58^°, and the 

 fifth about 74^°. A nail should be then driven 

 into each of these points, and the chalk rubbed 

 off." 



In very unfavourable situations, perhaps no 

 systematic mode of training can be completely 

 carried out, at least to the extent shown in our 

 previous examples. In such cases, therefore, 

 the cultivator must adopt that which may be 

 characterised as the irregular mode — namely, to 

 secure a supply of young wood from such parts 

 of the tree as produce it, and often, instead 



