CHAP. V.] 



PRUNING. 



97 



pole {fig- 19.)> which may be length- 

 ened or taken to pieces like a fi:-h- 

 ing-rod, as is practised by Captain 

 Mangles. The scissors are strong 

 and sharp, and are made to act by 

 means oi' a long cord which passes 

 through rings down the side of the 

 pole ; but they are not strong enough 

 to remove anything but dead flowers 

 or seed vessels. 



When a very large branch is to be 

 removed, it is generally necessary to 

 cut a notch out of it on each side, 

 and then to divide the remainder 

 with a saw ; but this is an operation 

 that most ladies will prefer leaving to 

 a gardener. In all cases the great 

 art of pruning consists in making a 

 clean sharp cut, so as to leave the 

 bark in a healthy state to make an 

 effort to cover over the wound, and 

 in pruning sufficiently near a bud not 

 to leave any dead wood. 



The time for pruning is, either 

 early in spring, after all danger is 

 over from frost, but before the sap 

 has begun to move ; or in winter, 

 after the movement of the sap tor 

 the summer has ceased. Summer 

 pruning is also necessary with some 

 trees ; but, generally speaking, it 

 should be confined to rubbing off 

 only the buds which would produce 

 unnecessary shoots, and which should 

 be removed as soon as they appear. 



Fig. 10. 



