THE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY OF NEW YORK 



surface. Often decay enters in spite of paints and the tree 

 breaks down as soon as if no painting were done. 



When large branches are to be removed the tearing of the 

 trunk may be avoided by making three cuts, the first a foot or 

 more from the trunk or main Hmb that is to remain and this cut 

 always on the under side of the limb. When the saw binds or 

 sticks the second cut is to be made above and close to the first one. 

 Soon the branch will drop of its own weight Then the stub left 

 may be cut where the final wound should always be — close to the 

 part that is to remain, so no stub will be left. 



Tools to use in renovation work are saws, lopping shears, and 

 perhaps pole pruners. For small branches the pruning saw, with 

 a frame like a meat saw but narrowing toward the front so as to 

 go in small quarters, is the most effective. For larger limbs the 

 same style, except that the front has more of a bow. Both of 

 these are provided with swivel blades which may be instantly 

 tilted so as to saw at any angle. They should also have handles 

 shaped like a carpenter's saw and large enough to admit of wear- 

 ing a thick glove. The double-edged saw is an abomination ! No 

 one who respects his trees uses it. For very large branches a 

 large saw resembling a carpenter's crosscut, but narrower, is 

 useful — when renovation work must be done. 



In choosing lopping shears the simpler the construction the 

 better. Those with a lock nut, or better still, a ratchet, are pre- 

 ferable to those with only a rivet or a bolt. Illustrations of good, 

 bad and indifferent tools and of many of the subjects discussed 

 in the lecture may be found in my book, Principles and Prac- 

 tise of Pruning. The most " indifferent " pruning tool and the 

 one least used by practical orchardists is the " pole pruner," of 

 which many styles are on the market. None of them is capable 

 of doing really first class work, simply because the operator is 

 too far away from his work. Except for removing the tips of 

 rampant branches beyond reach of saw, shears, or knife, they 

 have no use. If one feels he must have one, the least objection- 

 able is the simplest — the one with the fewest parts. Never 

 should the blade enter a slot because this is sure to become 

 clogged with debris. 



The pruning of ornamental shrubs may be summed up in three 



357 



