The ranch. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1902-1914, 1906-05-01

timely article in
the California Cultivator on this sub
ject. He first lays down the well rec
ognized rule that a tree will properly
develop a certain amount of fruit and
it makes no difference whether 1t Is
evenly distributed or not" This rule
in principle l have insisted on fire.
uuently. A bearing tree is capable OF
bringing to maturity a certain amount
of fruit. When a tree, therefore, has
all it's fruit in the top, for instance,
and none on the lower limbs, the clus-
tiers may be allowed much thicker
than if the whole tree was loaded
heavily. Mr. Mills recommends as
one way of thinning peaches to "go
in with the hand shears and cut back
the small fruit-bearing wood so that
the fruit is properly thinned thereby
Some peach trees were thinned in the
usual way by leaving peaches about
eight inches apart on the limbs; then
some were thinned with the shears by
cutting back the limbs so as to leave
about as many peaches on the trees.
He saws: cat harvest time there
was no difference in the size or quail
ity of the fruit on the trees thinned
in the two different ways" This clip
ping back of the small limbs at thin
ming time must not be confounded
with the cutting out or back the large
limbs during the winter or early
spring.
| am giving much attention to the
method of pruning peach trees. L
have a young peach orchard OF over
four thousand trees. l am deter
mined that these trees shall be kept
low and in order that this may be &C
complished we cut back the new
growth heavily each spring. | want
to do practically all my pruning, thin
ming and picking from the ground. TO
obtain this end the tops are cut back
severely and the side branches are
left on or cut off only when they would
lie on the ground when laden with
fruit. 1t is reported that J. H. Hale,
of Connecticut, the ''peach king OF
America" never uses any ladders i'll
his great peach orchards of Georgia;
in fact, Mr.. Hale makes this state
ment himself. This result could only
be attained by the severe cutting back
here recommended.
An old peach orchard can be re
newed and made lOW-headed by DE
horning," as Prof. Balmer calls 1t. L
would do all this "dehorning' the
first year. Cut back heavily One-half
of the old tree that has it's head way
up in the air." like some proud peo-
pie. New and vigorous limbs will
grow out from the "dehorned' ones
and will soon bear more and better
peaches than if allowed to grow with
out this heading back. Then, in one
or two years, head back the remain
der of the tree. Keep up this work
and there will be always new wood
which it is we'll known is the only
part of a peach tree that produces
fruit buds. This new and vigorous
wood will bear much better grade OF
fruit than the old high-headed trees
that are allowed to have their own
sweet will.
If the bodies of peach trees remain
sound and healthy this heading back
and growing of new and vigorous tops
may be kept up indefinitely. II the
bodies are rotten at the center and
some times down one side it will not
pay to monkey with these old trees. Ii
the peach orchard is in locality
where late frosts are likely to occur,
then it may be better to allow the
peach trees to grow up as high as pos
sible. In some cases an elevation OF
a few inches will make great differ
ence in escaping the frost. But for
commercial purposes | would never
recommend the growing Of peaches
where it is necessary to have high
1oo1o 4, ordar to accana tha frost