140 THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. 



meet with that candid, but sharp criticism, which alone can adequately 

 elucidate any subject, I remain, now as ever, their willing servant. 



After the reading, the President called upon the members in 

 rotation to express their views on the subject. 



A. C. Dunlop, of Peterboro', said that he prunes his apple trees in 

 the spring, believing that to be the best time. His grape vines he 

 prunes in the fall, and in the summer pinches them in, leaving one 

 bunch on each spur. 



"VV. Jackson, Peterboro', i:)runes apples, pears and plums in June 

 and July. Plum trees do not seem to reqxiire much pruning, and 

 have been very successful in growing them. 



John Croil, of Aultsville, prefers to prune apple trees in the middle 

 of June, for then the wounds made by pruning heal up quickly. 

 When necessary to make large wounds applies a thick paint to the cut 

 surface to protect it from the sun and rain. With most persons, early 

 in March is a convenient time to prune, and when pruning is properly 

 and regularly performed, it can be done then as well as at any time. 

 We prune grape vines in the fall, so as to be able to protect them 

 during the winter, and in summer pinch back the shoots, leaving one 

 bunch of grapes on each branch. 



P. C. Dempsey, Albury, said pruning needs to be varied according 

 to the object in view. The apple can be trained in very ornamental 

 forms, such as cordons and espaliers, and pruning must be very 

 different when directed to the forming of an espalier or the training of 

 a cordon from that used in forming an orchard tree. When pruning 

 is done to induce a particular growth, it should be performed just as 

 the buds are swelling. When the tree is making too much wood, and 

 we wish to check its exuberance, we prune in mid-summer, thereby 

 removing a portion of the foliage, and inducing the formation of fruit 

 buds. Thinks he has succeeded best with peai-s when he has let them 

 alone. .Those pear trees that he had pruned most carefully had 

 suffered the most from blight. Grape vines should be pruned in the 

 fall, for we must lay them down and cover them with earth to protect 

 them from the severity of the winter, for we have very little snow, and 

 the frost penetrates to the depth of from three to four feet. We prune 

 in the fall to lessen the amount of wood to be covered, and in the 

 summer pinch in the shoots to keep the vine within bounds. Straw- 

 berry vines he prunes with the plow, by running a plow with a sharp 



