PRUNING. 53 



this, that in this country early Springs is the safest time 

 for all finished pruning. You may thin out in the 

 Summer, shorten and thin out in the Autumn ; in the 

 Winter, if the weather is mild, shorten slightly an odd 

 bough or two and remove dead wood ; but for all 

 pruning as a final operation early Spring is the safest 

 season of the year for all trees. 



Before we deal further with the actual pruning of 

 Rose trees, a word or two here on the implements to 

 be used seems in season. I do not wish to lay down 

 the law to anyone, but as regards the use of knife or 

 secateur, I have no hesitation whatsoever in advocating 

 the use of the secateur in preference to the knife. I 

 would even go further, and condemn the use of the 

 knife for general pruning, except in the hands of 

 experts. 



The reasons are obvious. No matter how sharp 

 a knife may be, there is always the drag or pull on the 

 branch that you are cutting, also on the tree, with the 

 great danger of fracturing a branch at its joint or even 

 tearing it from the tree. With a knife two hands 

 should be used, one to hold the bough steady, the other 

 to cut. Now, in the first place, if you have a lot of 

 pruning to do, this is a great waste of energy, and you 

 will soon tire at your work. The knife should be 

 sharpened often to keep a keen edge, and every care 

 taken each time to make a clean and not too slanting a 

 cut. No ! Men may argue, as they will, and espe- 

 cially the old-fashioned, but you cannot beat the 

 secateur. In point of time a man can prune three or 

 five trees with the secateurs as against one with the 

 knife. You cannot hurry the knife without danger to 

 the tree, but with the secateurs you may speed up your 

 work at will, for there is no drag, and the use of one 

 hand only allows you a better and quicker view of your 

 work. There are many makes of secateurs upon the 

 market, and I have used nearly all, but the two best 

 are the Elliott Pruner and Company's " Plucca " 

 pruner and Mr. A. A. Jardine's " Medoc Secateurs." 

 Both of these pruners have attachments of great value, 

 and they are both a blessing to the gardener. 



