44 
PRUNING PEACH TREES 
located over in Ontario, Canada. The late Mr. J. H. Hale's orchards at 
bout^ Glastonbury, Connecticut, are on sandy loam on the granite hills 
overlooking the Connecticut river. In the central and southern regions, 
heavier, stronger loams and clays are preferred, especially in Georgia and 
Alabama. The extreme heat in the South burns the fertility out of the 
sandy sou. 
.'T ®^ '''^ come from the nursery are either known as 
June-budded" or "one-year" trees; no one grows or plants a two-year-old 
peach tree. The June-budded tree is usually very small. The top is one 
year old and the roots are one year old, and it is propagated by a special 
method, known as June budding. The so-called one-year peach tree, 
which IS used most largely, has a one-year-old top and a two-year-old 
root. Peach trees should always be headed with an open spreading top 
and vase form as described on page 30. 
All peach trees should be headed low. Some growers cut off the 
trunk 6 inches above the ground and form the top on that 6 inches. 
(Hhers cut off the trunk 24 inches above the ground and form the top 
there. Probably the best distance is from 12 to 18 inches. Avoid forks 
or weak crotches, which will split. 
The peach is entirely different from other fruits. It is naturally a 
s ender grower, and comparatively short-lived. It can be trained so 
that all the fruit can be picked from the ground without the aid of a step- 
ladder. The wood is very brittle and light, and the branches break easily, 
which is another reason for having it low-headed. 
The. peach trees should be pruned regularly, and heavier than any 
other tree. To get good fruit it is necessary to prune severely. The 
peaches are borne on the switches that grew the preceding year. A switch 
never bears but one crop, and the result is, if it is not pruned back each 
year, the new growth where the fruit is borne will be farther and farther 
from the center of the tree, until the branch finally breaks off. 
For setting the tree and pruning the roots, see pages 19 and 20. 
Pruning the Tree As soon as the tree is set, cut off the main trunk 
off all but three to five of the branches that start to grow. However the 
more progressive growers allow the trees to put out as many branches as 
they will the first summer and encourage them to make as strong a 
growth as possible the first part of the season. 
How to Prune Large Size 
Peach Trees at Plant- 
ing Time. 
Sometimes the extra large 
size trees have side branches 
that are as large or larger than 
an ordinary lead pencil, and 
there are very few buds near 
the base of these large side 
limbs. .These extra heavy limbs 
should not be cut back closer 
than within S to 6 inches of 
the main trunk. This picture 
shows the late Mr. J. H. Hale 
pruning one of these extra 
heavy trees. Note length of the 
stubs in this particular case. 
