136 THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. 



There are indeed few subjects more interesting, and fewer still upon 

 which everybody imagines he can give accurate and practical infor- 

 mation for the horticulturist. It is a matter of fact that almost every- 

 one has tried the process ; with varying success, it is true, still the trial 

 has been made, and, in the case of many, the results heralded to the 

 world. Strange it would be then if the President of vour Association 

 had nothing to say on this matter. I have thought ihat a few ideas 

 and facts briefly stated might be an apt introduction to our present 

 discussion, and thus give a direction and an impetus to our meeting 

 which it might not otherwise exhibit. I do not flatter myself that I 

 can advance anything new to those who are practical horticulturists, 

 and have made pruning the siibject of their thought and experiment 

 for years. In the way of putting the matter, however, there may be 

 something novel, which may afford the occasion of a practical recom- 

 mendation from our Fruit Growers' Association to the producing world. 



Pruning is an ancient art, and has been practiced in the far east 

 from times immemorial. Scripture, too, has its scriptural illustrations 

 from the practice, and asserts that every husbandman " piirgeth" the 

 tree, but more especially the vine. It strikes one as odd that a fruit 

 tree requires all this care, while forest and other trees are allowed to 

 develop much as nature dictates. 



We have seen all sorts of fancies or conceits wrought by the knife, 

 and trees under the process have been made to assume all sorts of 

 comical and fantastic shapes. We confess that one touch of nature, to 

 us, is of more worth and beauty than a thousand of those phantasies. 

 An important question has always been. When is it best to accomplish 

 this needful purgation ? We have thought, and in fact have acted on 

 the thought, that every variety of fruit tree requires almost a different 

 season and method in the operation. Currants require one season, 

 raspberries and strawberries a second, vines, peaches, pears and apples 

 a third, and often the greatest confusion has arisen when speaking and 

 writing of pruning when the variety under treatment has not been 

 distinctly mentioned. Even the two varieties of currants, black and 

 white, require different methods of treatment, though the season of 

 such treatment is the same. A black cnrrant requires as much as 

 possible to be deprived of its old wood, and the encouragement of the 

 young ; a white currant needs to be switched like a thorn hedge, and 

 the young wood left short and stubby. 



