I/OJ^V TO PRUNE. 



left till after flowering, as any cutting back 

 now or thinning out means merely remov- 

 ing so many flowering branches. Above all 

 things do not clip them into round heads, as 

 it totally destroys the individual growth 

 with its characteristic grace, leaving nothing 

 but meaningless round form, abominable in 

 its stiiTness. The hvdrangea is the onlv 



Gooseberry Trimmed 



shru'b that should be well clipped back in 

 spring before growth. All others should 

 be pruned or thinned out after the flowering 

 season is over. 



Raspberry canes cut back to within six 

 inches of the ground will give a crop of fruit 

 later in the season, after the other canes 

 pruned back in the ordinary way have 

 fruited and gone. 



We all know 'how much finer the fruit is 

 that is grown on young bushes or trees. It 

 is generally larger and always perfect, with 

 high color and shining skins as though pol- 

 ished. This is accounted for by free open 

 exposure to sun and air, and this fact should 

 point out strongly the 'benefit of pruning, 

 which always should tend to keep the bush 

 or tree open and well supplied with vigor- 

 ous wood. The character and habit of 

 growth of dififerent varieties of fruit trees 

 has also a bearing on the pruning necessary 

 for each. The pruning required for North- 

 ern Spy should always be to widen the 



branches and open the centre, as the tree has 

 an upright tendency of growth similar to the 

 lombardy poplar. As a contrast, in the 

 case of the Rhode Island Greening, the ob- 

 ject is to promote an upright tendency, as 

 the habit of this variety is to spread out, and 

 its branches after bearing soon touch the 

 ground unless the pruner lifts them up. 



The tendency of sap is always to the top 

 bud, which if not cut back goes on indefi- 

 nitely. The King of Tomkins is an ex- 

 ample. 



Pruning to produce an equal distribution 

 of sap in all the branches consists in thin- 

 ning out the branches so as to have the 

 grow^th of the tree equally balanced all 

 round. As the sap always ascends to the 

 top of the tree, leaving the lower branches 

 in a feeble condition, it is necessary to cut 

 back the leading shoots so as to force the 

 sap into the lower branches and thus keep 

 up a uniform growth. Pruning the smaller 

 branches on the strong part of the tree and 

 leaving them on the weaker part restores 



Rose Untrimmed 



the balance, as by removing the branches 

 you remove the foliage which attracts the 

 sap, and leaving branches with their foliage 

 on the weak part induces the sap to go there, 

 thus increasing the strength of the tree in 

 that part. 



