20 THE PHILOSOPHY OF PRUNING 



quality of fruit, in ease of cultivation and spray- 

 ing of the plants, are advantages which progressive 

 horticulture can never forego. Advise a grape- 

 grower to discontinue pruning ! 



It appears to be safe to conclude, from the 

 foregoing considerations, that pruning is a legiti- 

 mate practice, finding warrant in wild plants, in 

 physiology and in the experience of centuries. 

 It is not of itself, as ordinarily performed, a 

 devitalizing practice, while its advantages are 

 several and important. There is abundant op- 

 portunity for improvement in methods, and every 

 plant needs a particular treatment, and perhaps 

 some species or varieties demand little, if any, 

 thinning ; but as a whole, pruning is indispensable 

 to successful horticulture. 



