The Peach Pruner!!

Great knives, everyone.

As a native Georgian, Peach Pruners do intrigue me, however, in the Peach State, we just pick, wash, and eat peaches. I’m sure not all, but my yard is eat immediately, with no wash needed.

My only pruner is on a Vic Farmer. I use it for all my horticulture needs, and it is my favorite tool to use, as such.

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I had to cut back my peach trees last week - I miss their fruit.
 
LongBlade said:
Great thread on an interesting horticultural knife :cool: - thanks Charlie and hope you are feeling well :thumbsup: ... and some beautiful examples posted above by all :thumbsup::thumbsup: ..

Here's two to share -

First is a George Butler & Co/ Trinity Works/ Sheffield - 3 & 3/4" and nice old stag on a heavily curved handle. Integrated liner and bolsters so thinking fairly old and perhaps pre-1860.. tapered back spring (from pivot bolster to end of spring it just continues to get larger) and wraps so nicely around the end into the well.. Blade is very well used but I couldn't resist this knife for a few reasons including price of course.. anyway still snaps and is solid after so many years and much use ;) ... Check out the spine of the blade above the nail nick - if I'm not mistaken whoever used this knife must have liked keeping their finger on top of the blade - it looks to me there is a worn spot on the spine from constant handling right above the nail nick - and actually when I grip it and put my finger there it feels quite comfortable :) ...

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The second one I believe is the first American-made Peach Pruner to be posted and I am starting to think not a pattern made over here across the pond very often - an old Camillus and a tang stamp suggestive of 1930s-1940s... In my mind no doubt a Peach Pruner based on blade and handle - cocobolo handles and cool bolster with a closed length of 3 & 3/4".. still a solid knife functionally despite the crack in wood on mark side near bolster... nonetheless couldn't resist this Camillus...

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Thanks for looking - I only have a few in my collection among my horticultural knives but thought these may be of interest ;) ..

Cheers - Lee
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Lee, very nice and very unusual to see an American made one, can't recall ever seeing another.


Forgot I have this Saynor, picked it out of a junk box at a knife show, shown next to a full size T. Hague pruner.


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Not posted for a while, this is the first pruner this city slicker collected, years ago!!:eek: Considered a Peach Pruner by those who know, I bought this off the "Big site" before I even knew who Jack Black was!! (Hi Jack!):rolleyes: Jack Black Jack Black
I just always like the proportions of this knife, and I'd never heard of A.Wright before I bought it!! It's still a simple Horn-Handled beauty!!:cool::DA.Wright PP 1.jpg A.Wright PP 2.jpg A.Wright PP 3.jpg
They used a brass or bronze pivot pin back then!!A.Wright PP 4.jpg A.Wright PP 5.jpg
 
Bartleby said:
Would the brass handled Tyne knife qualify as a peach pruner?
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Absolutely, Chin!!:) Compact, easily carried. Probably has many more uses!!
This one has a full flat grind on the pile side, so would be handy for budding and grafting also!! Notice this one still has the factory edge!!:cool:Tyne by IXL 1.jpg Tyne by IXL 2.jpgTyne by IXL 3.jpg
 
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waynorth said:
Did I miss a reference? What does "Scargill Croft" refer to Jack??
Jack Black Jack Black
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Sorry for the VERY slow reply Charlie, that sign is at the corner of Bank Street and Scargill Croft, where in the 1820's, and until around 1840, Thomas Saynor, was based.

Going back to the discussion about the provenance of the Peach Pruner name, In Charles Mackintosh's 1855 treatise, The Book of the Garden, referring to another branch of the Saynor family, Saynor Cooke & Ridal, he praises their Peach Pruners as "deservedly popular".

waynorth said:
Not posted for a while, this is the first pruner this city slicker collected, years ago!!:eek: Considered a Peach Pruner by those who know, I bought this off the "Big site" before I even knew who Jack Black was!! (Hi Jack!):rolleyes: Jack Black Jack Black
I just always like the proportions of this knife, and I'd never heard of A.Wright before I bought it!! It's still a simple Horn-Handled beauty!!:cool::DView attachment 1365345 View attachment 1365346 View attachment 1365347
They used a brass or bronze pivot pin back then!!View attachment 1365348 View attachment 1365349
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Very nice indeed Charlie :) I'm glad we know each other now! :D :) :thumbsup:
 
Jack Black said:
Sorry for the VERY slow reply Charlie, that sign is at the corner of Bank Street and Scargill Croft, where in the 1820's, and until around 1840, Thomas Saynor, was based.

Going back to the discussion about the provenance of the Peach Pruner name, In Charles Mackintosh's 1855 treatise, The Book of the Garden, referring to another branch of the Saynor family, Saynor Cooke & Ridal, he praises their Peach Pruners as "deservedly popular".



Very nice indeed Charlie :) I'm glad we know each other now! :D :) :thumbsup:
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Me too Jack!! You help make this knife business fun, Old Friend!!:D
 
waynorth said:
Absolutely, Chin!!:) Compact, easily carried. Probably has many more uses!!
This one has a full flat grind on the pile side, so would be handy for budding and grafting also!! Notice this one still has the factory edge!!
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A have a minty Wolstenholm that was ground on both sides, as well as a not so minty one with the full flat grind that rides in the saddle bag of my restored Raleigh 3 speed. It has trimmed its fair share of overhanging nature from the bike path. The point works very well at levering out the little goathead thorns that find their way into the tires from time to time. The brass has held up very well to saddle bag carry. Like others in the peach pruner family, it is large enough to be useful, but small enough to take along.
 
Bartleby said:
A have a minty Wolstenholm that was ground on both sides, as well as a not so minty one with the full flat grind that rides in the saddle bag of my restored Raleigh 3 speed. It has trimmed its fair share of overhanging nature from the bike path. The point works very well at levering out the little goathead thorns that find their way into the tires from time to time. The brass has held up very well to saddle bag carry. Like others in the peach pruner family, it is large enough to be useful, but small enough to take along.
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The nice thing about those brass handles is, you don't have to worry about them too much! Indeed a perfect knife to knock around in a "saddlebag!!
 
Mulling the subject of Peach Pruner over, and having picked a few (very few) peaches over time, I suspect a Peach Pruners main job is to remove leaves that block the sun from ripening the fruit!! It's too easy to pick a ripe peach with a slight twist of the wrist!!
Anyone know for sure???
 
I'm not sure on that one Charlie, you are probably dead on with your thinking. Me? well my thinking could be studied by psychiatrists around the World to give them a case study as I was in the thinking because of the curvature of the Blade of the Peach Pruner, a person would hold the peach ( me in my left Hand, Pruner in the right ) then from the top of the peach a simple downward pull as the Blade shapes to the Pip as you turn your left hand in time with you pulling the blade to the bottom, turn over and repeat- and you have a cleanly halved Peach in two simple maneuvers - then the Pip is half exposed to pluck out?

The curve helping the blade to stay with the Pip during the exercise?

Not sure if I described that well enough to imagine what I mean. 🤪

Very cool Slater David :p
 
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