PRU 



4S6 



PS Y 



branch from which they proceed, or to 

 any lower shoot or bottom part, leaving 

 these to supply its place. Likewise 

 examine if any branches are become too 

 long for the allotted space, either at 

 sides or top, and let them be reformed 

 accordingly, by shortening them down 

 to some lower shoot or branch proper- 

 ly situated to supply the place, being 

 careful that every branch terminates 

 in a young shoot for a leader, and not 

 stumped off at the extremity. From 

 the principal or larger branches pass to 

 the shoots of the year which were train- 

 ed up in summer, first cutting out close 

 all foreright and other irregular shoots 

 that may have been omitted in the sum- 

 mer pruning ; likewise all very weak | 

 ehoots, and those of very luxuriant 

 growth, unless it be necessary to keep 

 some to supply a vacant place. In this 

 pruning, as in the summer dressing, it 

 is of importance to have a strict eye to 

 the lower parts of wall-trees, &c., to 

 see if there is any present vacancy, or 

 any that apparently will soon happen,! 

 in which cases, if any good shoot is 

 situated contiguous, it should be train- 

 ed in, either at full length, or shorten it 

 to a few eyes, to force out two or more 

 shoots, if they shall seem necessary; for 

 precaution should ever be observed in 

 taking care to have betimes a sufficient 

 stock of young wood coming forward to 

 fill up any casual vacancy, and substi- 

 tute a new set of branches in place of 

 such as are either decayed or stand in 

 need of retrenchment. 



Sometimes in wall-trees and espaliers 

 there are many large disagreeable bar- 

 ren spurs, consisting both of old worn 

 out fruit spurs, and of clusters of stumps 

 of shortened shoots projecting conside- 

 rably from the branches, occasioned 

 by unskilful pruning, when retrenching 

 the superabundant and irregular shoots 

 which, instead of being cut out close, 

 are stumped off to an inch or two long. 

 At this season of pruning, it is advisable 

 to reform them as well as possible, by 

 cutting all the most disagreeable stumps 

 close to the branches, leaving these at 

 full length, especially if apples, pears, 

 &c., and reserve an occasional supply 

 of young wood in different parts, and 

 thus, in two or three years, you <nay 

 reduce such trees to a regular figure, 

 and a proper state of bearing. 



Too severe pruning is greatly preju- 

 dicial to the health of some sorts of, 



fruit. Plums and cherries, in particu- 

 lar, are often greatly damaged by a too 

 severe discipline of the knife, these 

 trees being very liable to gum by large 

 amputations. It is, therefore, of import- 

 ance to attend to these trees well in the 

 summer pruning, to retrench all the 

 superfluous and irregular shoots while 

 quite young, and pinch others occasion- 

 ally where wood is wanted to fill va- 

 cancies, so as to require but little prun- 

 ing out of large wood in winter. — 

 Abercromhie. 



PRUNING APPARATUS. In all 

 mechanical operations success is more 

 certainly attained by the use of proper 

 implements; though pruning or the lop- 

 ping of branches may be very simple, 

 yet there is great advantage in execut- 

 ing it with the instruments best adapted 

 to the purpose, most of which are de- 

 scribed in these pages, under their 

 proper heads. 



PRUNUS. Plum. Eight species and 

 many varieties. P. domestica, see Plum, 

 All hardy deciduous trees. Seed, suck- 

 ers, and grafting or budding. Common 

 soil, well drained. 



PSIDIUM. Guava. Thirteen spe- 

 cies. Stove evergreen shrubs. Cut- 

 tings. Loam and peat. 



PSOPHOCARPUS tetragono- 

 bulus. Annual stove twiner. Seed. 

 Light rich loam. 



PSORALEA. Forty-two species. 

 The green-house and stove evergreens 

 are increased by cuttings ; the half- 

 hardy herbaceous, by seed and cut- 

 tings ; the biennials, by seed. All re- 

 quire light loam and peat. 



PSYCHOTRIA. Sixteen species. P. 

 daphnoides is a green-house evergreen 

 shrub ; P. parasitica is a parasite, and 

 the others stove evergreen shrubs. Cut- 

 tings. Sandy loam and peat. 



P S Y L L A . The chermes, nearly 

 allied to the aphis. P. pyri. Pear 

 chermes, appears in May, not unlike a 

 large aphis, crimson coloured, shaded 

 with black. Mr. Kollar thus details its 

 habits : — 



" As soon as the fruit trees put out 

 buds, the winged chermes makes its 

 appearance. When pairing is over, the 

 female lays her eggs in great numbers 

 near each other on the young leaves 

 and blossoms, or on the newly formed 

 fruit and shoots. They are of a longish 

 shape, and yellow; and, without a mag- 

 nifying glass, they resemble the pollen 



