6. All fruit-hearing plants cannot he pruned alike. Special 

 practices are employed for the purpose of securing certain specific 

 results. 



Heading in : — We have already noted that very strong growth 

 is often made at tlie expense of fruit-bearing. 

 Peaclies, phims and dwarf pears are " lieaded in " 

 to enconrge tlie development of fruit-buds by con- 

 centrating elaborated food. This system of pruning, 

 which is done during the doi'mant season, and con- 

 sists of cutting off the ends of the terminal shoots, 

 may also be a means of thinning the fruit by remov- 

 ing fruit-buds. If the " heading-in " is severe and 

 takes the form of a heavy pruning, one of the 

 objects of the work may be defeated — a vigorous 

 growth may be induced. The operator should study 

 the condition of the tree and exercise his best 

 The long stub judgment. 



does not heal. ^ rm i 77 t 1 • -, 



7. Ihe wound made when a liinb %s removed 



heals hest if the cut is made close to the trunh or hranch on ichich 

 it grows. — We have seen that leaves are the food- 

 elaborating factories of the plant. If a branch is 

 cut off, leaving a stump three or four inches long, 

 quite bare of leaves or buds, what happens ? Pos- 

 sibly the stump develops buds, and puts forth leaves 

 which set to work to repair the injury. Suppose 

 that no leaves develop (perhaps the branch was 

 feeble) then what happens ? The stump becomes 

 " side-tracked," the water going up and the elabo- 

 rated food coming down, pass by, and no healing 

 takes place. The cut surface is not covered by a 

 protecting callus, germs- of decay find entrance and 

 rot sets in resulting in the destruction of W\q wood, ^^^*^ cutting resulu 

 not only in tlie stub itself, but following its libers 

 into the heart of the parent tree. If the branch is severed close 

 to the main stem the vitality of the wood is preserved and the 

 wound is covered before decay sets in. 



406 



