234 GARDENIl^G FOR PLEASURE. 



cutting away a third, a half, or even more of a plant can 

 improve it in vigor and fruitfulness, or abundance and 

 size of flowers. Let us suppose that a stem which grew 

 last year has twenty buds upon it. If this is allowed to 

 take its own course in the spring, a few of the upper 

 buds will push with great vigor, and form strong shoots ; 

 while those below will make gradually weaker shoots, 

 and for probably the lower third of the stem the buds 

 will not start at all. In fruit trees, as a rule, the most 

 vigorous growth is at the top. The buds there were the 

 last formed in the previous summer, are the most excit- 

 able, and the soonest to grow the next spring, and 

 getting the start of those below them, they draw the 

 nourishment to themselves and starve the others. If, 

 instead of allowing this stem to grow at will in this man- 

 ner, it had been, before any of the buds started, cut back 

 so as to leave only a few of the lower ones, those having 

 an abundance of nutriment would push forth with great 

 vigor and be nearly equal in size, while the flowers or 

 fruit borne upon them would be greatly superior to those 

 upon the unpruned stem. Any one can readily be con- 

 vinced of the utility of pruning by taking two rose bushes 

 of equal size, leaving one without any pruning to take 

 care of itself, and each sj^ring cutting the other back 

 severely, pruning away one-third or one-half of the wood 

 that was formed the previous season. The result at the 

 end of two years will be very striking. 



No general rule can be given for pruning. The ama- 

 teur should use his eyes, and notice the habit of growth 

 of his trees and shrubs. He will find that many, like the 

 Rose, produce their flowers upon the new wood of the 

 present seiison, and that such plants are greatly bene- 

 fited by cutting back more or less each spring. But 

 there are other plants for which this treatment will not 

 answer. If we examine a Horse-chestnut tree, or a Lilac 

 bush, and many others, we shall find that the flowers 



