134 Spring Work — Pruning, jTMarch, 



As to the head, or top of a tree, it should be kept open, for the ready 

 admission of light and air. A free circulation of light and air has 

 much to do with the proper maturing of fruit and wood. The hemis- 

 pherical form is to be preferred. The pruning should chiefly be confined, 

 especially upon old trees, to the smaller branches. If it is necessary 

 that large ones be lopped off, it should be done judiciously, and not too 

 much be taken off at once, which will surely result in a profuse growth 

 of water sprouts, and consequent exhaustion of the Tital force of the 

 tree. It is often thought, that as soon as a tree begins to decline, and 

 becomes moss-grown, or has suffered from long neglect, that it is neces- 

 sary to use the saw unsparingly upon the main branches, and cut off, as 

 is often seen, one-half of the wood the same season. This is icrong — 

 grossJy wrong. For, besides leaving scars, which soon, by rapid decay, 

 admit moisture, and thus destroy the tree, it paralyzes the functions of 

 healthful growth, by destroying the ecpilibrium between the spongioles 

 of the roots and the proper office of the foliage — the leaves being neces- 

 sary for the suitable elaboration of the sap, loaded with nutritious 

 elements, taken in by these spongioles. The leaves not being sufficient 

 to perform the work required, stagnation or congestion must follow. 

 And this result is uniformly seen, where pruning is carried to excess with 

 trees, young or old. To renovate a tree, then, vre must attend carefully 

 to these physiological principles, viz : removing, as a general thing, portions 

 of the outer growth, and all such branches as come in contact, or prevent 

 free circulation, as well as those that are diseased, or on the decline. 



The pruning of the cherry, peach, and plum, should be upon the short- 

 ening-in mode ; in which there may be taken from one-third to two-thirds 

 of the last year's growth, especially after the trees begin to bear freely. 

 Before this, you are chiefly engaged in forming the head, and your pru- 

 ning will be directed to those branches which are irregular, and too 

 confined. The shortening-in method will promote the growth and proper 

 development of fruit-buds, and tend to keep the tree from exhaustion 

 when it begins to bear freely, Mr. Laughery, of Adams county, one of 

 the most successful growers of the peach in Ohio, as many of our citi- 

 zens know, informed us that last year he not only removed from one- 

 third to a half of the previous year's growth, but that he took pains to 

 remove three out of five of the fruit-sets; and that he was satisfied tliat 

 he had profited greatly by it, both as respects the health of his trees, 

 and the amount of his crop. Many peach trees last year failed entirely 

 to mature their crop, and the trees themselves perished, or were so 

 enfeebled they will never recover. This year, the pruning-knife should 

 be used more freely than common, and the branches cut back as far as 



