45 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN’S COMPANION.— October 21, 185(1. 
First year the branch A is cut at .1, at the winter prun¬ 
ing; and the branch B is originated. 
Second year —The branches A and B are cut at 2; and 
the branch C is originated. 
Third year —The branches A and B are cut at the marks 
beyond 2 ; the branch C is cut for the first time at3; and 
the branch D is originated. The tree has now all its lower 
branches established. 
Fourth year —The branches A B C D have their leaders 
shortened, as indicated; but no more branches are encou¬ 
raged for this season. 
Fifth year —The leaders are shortened, as usual; and the 
three branches, E E E, on the upper side of the branch A, 
are allowed to push. 
Sixth y e ar —All the branches, with the exception of F, 
which is not yet in existence, are shortened, as indicated 
by the marks 6. 
Seventh year —Shortened, but no more branches originated. 
Eighth year —Same process as in the preceding year; and 
n fruit-bearing shoot is selected for the commencement of 
the branch F. 
Ninth year —All the branches for constituting the frame¬ 
work of the tree have now been originated ; and, this being 
the case, no shoots are afterwards allowed to assume the 
character of branches. At each winter pruning shoots of 
the preceding summer’s growth only are left. In the fol¬ 
lowing summer these bear fruit; whilst the lowest shoots 
which push at their bases are trained for succession.. 
Fig. 3 represents a portion of a branch of one of M. 
Lepere’s trees not pruned. 
Fig. 4—Another portion, on which the operation of 
winter pruning has been performed. 
Fig. 3. 
Fig. 4. 
Fig. 5. 
of Lepere’s trees, the spaces between the origin of one 
secondary branch and that of another are not naked. On 
the contrary, they are all along furnished with bearing 
wood, on the upper as well as the under sides. Shoots 
produced in one season bear fruit the next, and then, at the 
winter pruning, they are cut back close to the base of the 
successional shoot. A large quantity of fruit is thus ob¬ 
tained along these main branches; but there is another ad¬ 
vantage, as regards the health and duration of the tree. 
When branches are naked to any great extent they are 
liable to become sunburnt, as was found to be the case with 
those of a tree trained according to Seymour’s mode in t he 
Society’s Garden. The bearing-shoots on this were from 
12 to 15 inches apart, and on the upper sides only of the 
branches. When furnished with shoots at closer intervals, 
to draw sap, and better shaded by foliage, scorching is not 
apt to occur. 
From what has been stated, and by referring to Figs. 1 
and 2, it will be perceived that M. Lepere’s method differs 
essentially from the Montreuil, as regards the greater 
length of time which elapses before any branches are per¬ 
mitted to grow on the upper sides of the two main branches. 
That the principle is good, there can be no question. A 
great objection to its adoption in this country would doubri 
less be, the large space of wall between A A and the centre 
of the tree remaining so long uncovered. At the end of 
six or seven years after planting the tree there is still a 
large void; were it not for this, M. Lepere’s system would 
be perfection. He has a thorough practical knowledge of 
all the operations connected with the culture of the Peach¬ 
tree, anil his treatise Pratique Raisonnec de la Taille da. 
Pecker, 1 consider the best that has ever been published on 
the subject. He has other modes of train¬ 
ing in progress; and it would be well if 
any were found to equal in principle the 
above, which he greatly prefers at present, 
and at the same time afford the means of 
filling up the centre. 
On a west aspect wall a tree is trained 
as represented by Fig. 5. The mode is 
termed Chandelier training —Taille en Can- 
delabre. It extends 40 feet along the wall. 
The two branches, A B, from which the 
uprights spring, were first laid off like a V, 
and were annually lowered till, by degrees, 
they acquired their nearly horizontal posi¬ 
tion. In the second year after the tree was 
planted, the two branches, C D, were com¬ 
menced. At the end of the sixth year the 
uprights were all started. Previously to 
this, however, fruit-bearing shoots were 
encouraged along the four horizontal por¬ 
tions. The uprights arc nearly three feet 
apart, and the bearing-shoots are trained 
between them at an angle of 45° elevation. 
The tree was a good example of what may 
be done with the Peach-tree, 
m regard 
to 
D 
It will be observed that he prunes the bearing-shoots 
very short; and unless this be done the Peach-tree will not 
long continue to thrive. In consequence of leaving the 
fruit-bearing shoots too long, or in some cases not shorten¬ 
ing them at all, very many Peach-trees in this country 
become worn out, even in their youth, and that too in richer 
soil than is to be found at Montreuil. M. Lepere, it will be 
seen, has plenty of fruit-bearing shoots: he shortens them 
to () inches ; is satisfied with one or two fruits on each; and 
so from each of his trees he obtains on an average forty 
dozen of fine large Peaches. This certainly ought to 
induce people to shorten sufficiently the bearing-shoots, 
whatever the mode of training may be. 
It is necessary to remark that, on the main stems, A A, 
maintaining the equilibrium of both sides, 
when iu such hands as M. Lepere’s. Those 
possessing less skill would find some diffi¬ 
culty in managing such a form. 1 remarked 
that his admired tree, en Candelahre, would 
probably soon die, some slight symptoms 
of gumming on the horizontals being dis¬ 
cernible. That such would be the case I 
suspect M. Lepere himself had some fore¬ 
bodings ; however, he declared, if it should die, he would 
then nail it to the wall. 
On the same west aspect a number of fine Pear-trees 
had been much cut by a hail storm in June, 1845. By 
keeping the wounds covered, fresh bark had closed over 
many of them; but some branches were still in bad con¬ 
dition. 
In shortening a leading branch, he cuts to a bud situated 
next the wall. The consequence is, that the branch goes 
on straight, and the section, although exposed, soon heals 
over, so that it becomes almost impossible to tell where the 
shortening was effected. This is contrary to the rule 
usually laid.down and followed in this country, which is to 
cut behind the bud. A bend is the consequence. But the 
