404 Missouri Agricultural Report. 



side to straighten up and become the leader or main tnmk of the tree. 

 If cutting close to the trunk in removing one side of the fork is likely 

 to leave too large a wound, the young stub thus cut may be left from 

 four to six inches long so as to contain a few buds. These buds will 

 push out as side branches rather than replacing the fork. 



Cutting back or dehorning a tree tends to make it form objection- 

 able forks from the old stubs which are l(?ft. Furthermore, these old 

 stubs will rot more or less, making weak points of attachment where 

 the new limbs form, so that the "breaking down" process will, in the 

 long run, be worse rather than relieved. 



Vines to be secured for the home depend upon the character of 

 the house. If the house is of brick or stone, vines may be planted 

 against the base so they will cover the blank area of the walls of the 

 whole house, or as much of it as is desired. It is at least desirable to 

 grow vines about the doorways or at the corners of the house, at the 

 angles, over the outside chimneys, or in large blank areas between the 

 windows. 



The best vine for this perhaps is the Virginia creeper, sometimes 

 also known as woodbine or five-leaf ivy, but botanically known in cata- 

 logs as Amelopsis quinquefolia. This vine has disc tendrils and clings 

 well to brick or stone walls. It should not be grown on the walls of 

 wooden houses, as it will injure the wood. 



The question is often asked whether it will injure stone or brick 

 walls. It is beneficial rather than injurious to brick or stone houses. 

 It shades the walls, keeping the rooms cooler in summer. Chipping of 

 brick or stone is largely due to alternately heating up by the sun and 

 cooling off at night. The shade of the vines prevents this alternate 

 heating and cooling. The roots of vines remove a large quantity of water 

 from the soil around the base of the building, which tends to keep the 

 basement freer from water seepage and opposes uneven settling of the 

 house wall. 



The native trumpet creeper is a splendid vine for back fences, or it 

 is a good screen for out-buildings. 



For porches the various honey-suckles are among the best. These 

 vines are best trained to wires run vertically along the porch front about 

 one foot apart. Such wires may be attached to screw eyes placed in the 

 frame work of the porch above and below. The mistake is frequently 

 made of using wire screen or fencing on the porch for vines. This 

 prevents reaching through the wire to properly prune the vines. If 

 wires are placed one foot apart, the side branches of the vines will 

 form a sufficiently dense growth across the openings and make a com- 

 plete cover. 



