140 THE PRINCIPLES OF PRUNING 



yet the rule holds good in either case, heavy 

 pruning for wood, light pruning to maintain the 

 habitual condition. One must be careful, how- 

 ever, not to apply these contrasts to differing 

 branches on the same plant, for it is a fact that 

 one branch may appropriate the food of another 

 (see Section 6) ; if, therefore, it is desired to even 

 up the branches on any plant, prune the strong 

 shoots severely and the others only moderately, and 

 thereby throw the energy into the weaker shoots. 

 This type of pruning is often done in the summer. 

 "Meehan's Monthly" gives the following advice 

 on this point: "This summer pruning is espe- 

 cially effective with coniferous trees. In the case 

 of pines, we know that in the springtime three or 

 four branches push out at the end of last year's 

 sprouts, looking like gas burners. The central 

 one is very vigorous and those on the sides are 

 weaker. If we pinch out the point of the stronger 

 ones the sap at once flows into the weaker ones, 

 and they become strong, and new buds form at 

 the place where the strong one was pinched off. 

 Next year this bud continues the growth of the 

 branch almost as straight as if it had never been 

 pinched -back. We can pinch off the terminal bud 

 of the main stem, a new bud forming a leader 

 without any bend. One who understands this 

 business of summer pruning of evergreens can so 

 manage that trees form an absolutely perfect speci- 

 men from the ground to the top, no one branch 



