Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1870-03-17

idea Of the effect their cutting win have
on the tree, or on the fruit. And yet the
blind operations of ignorant persons some
times result IN more good than harm.
Especially is this the case when the prun-
ing is confined to simply thinning out
enough of the inside growth to prevent
the leading branches from becoming bare
of smaller ones. Who among our or
! chardists can effect more than we have
mentioned, or, who among them can point
out course of treatment whereby each
branch, which shall unfold from the buds,
may be brought under controlg Until
this can be done it win not be possible for
any one to materially benefit his trees, or
his fruits, by pruning.
Peach trees will need to have all super
flHous branches cut out each year; also,
so much of the year old wood as is not
wanted for fruit or from which to secure
new branches. We usually cut away so
large proportion of the large and small
branches as, not only to admit light and
air to what are left but provision must
also be made for all the young branches
that may grow from buds which are left
in pruning. 1t will be our aim, then, SO
to prune as to secure light and air to each
leaf that may be grown in the following
summer. This style of pruning not only
requires the removal of superfiuous
branches, but of quite a large part of the
shoots or smaller branches, also. To
obtain the best results it will be necessary
beforehand to know from what parts of
the shoots that are left, new branches viii
grow, and the possible extent of their
growth. With these facts in mind, it will
be easy to cut so as to leave no more
growth than is required to perfect the
fruit, and about three times as many
young branches as there are old. This |
excess of branches is grown that good |
selection may be made for fruiting the |
succeeding year. The effect of this |
severe pruning is to cause each new-shoot |
to push as many shoots as there are leaf |
buds.
In this way the tree is soon supplied |
with such a mass of new growth, as
would shade as much as though no prun-
ing had been done. There is tendency |
in al trees when severely pruned, to
again restore the balance between the top
and root. Hence, when trees are severely
pruned at any other time except in the
summer, then before the end of the sea-
son, they will have as much top as though
no pruning had been done. When there
is any excess of top growth, whereby
part of the leaves are shaded, then the
fruit will be wanting in flavor and will
lack the fine color that renders it so at
tractiye to the eye.
But, we are asked, what are we TO do to
hinder the growth SO as to have only the
desired number of young shoots and so
many leaves as are needed in the summer.
To effect this, we must equalize the
forces in the tree. This is done by go
ing below ground and cutting off SO much
of the root growth as will cause the tree
TO make no other growth than simply to
unfold and perfect the branches and
leaves that are in the buds. Without re-
straint of some kind upon the tree, the
buds at the axles of the leaves would
grow into branches; and in this way
each new branch would become the pa
rents of many little branchlets. If all Of
these should develop fully, then the tree
would have as full head of branches
and foliage as though no pruning had
DC6H uOue. III ldCi, Ilc piOuuCuoh VI |
new branches from the axle of leaves is
just what takes place In ninety-nine cases
out of every hundred in trees as ordina-
rily pruned. Hence the vast amount of
dead twigs usually found in the heads of
peach trees. When too many leaves are
produced they not only prevent the leaves
that escape defoliation from becoming as
large as they ought, but the fruit in size
will always be found TO correspond to the
size of the leaves. Therefore, any sys-
tenn of treatment of trees that will force
wood growth to rest in time to create no
more leaves than are wanted is best.