36 HORTICULTURE BY IRRIGATION. 



young, the top may be formed easily by pinching off the heads where they 

 are not needed. 



Pruning may be done in autumn after the fall of the leaf, also during 

 the winter and the early spring. Mr. Downing, the eminent horticultur- 

 ist, says : " We should especially avoid pruning at that period in spring 

 when the buds are swelling and the sap in full flow, as the loss of sap by 

 bleeding is very injurious to most trees, and in some brings on a serious 

 and incurable canker in the limbs." 



In removing a limb, cut just outside of the crown or collar. This is 

 quite important. The collar is a small ridge of bark to be seen on limbs 

 near the body of the tree. 



If severe pruning must be done, especially in the established orchard, 

 where large limbs have to be removed, it is very important that the 

 wounds heal early. In such cases summer pruning should be practiced. 

 It may be done either when the tree is in partial leaf, or when in full leaf 

 and blossom. The former is probably the better time. I would not 

 recommend much winter pruning in any locality where the winters are 

 severe, for the reason that fresh wounds render trees liable to injury from 

 extreme cold. 



In removing large limbs, always first make a cut on the under side, 

 to prevent splitting or peeling off the bark before the limb is fully severed. 

 This will occur if knife or saw is used on the upper side before the lower 

 cut is made. 



An excellent preparation for covering wounds made by pruning, is 

 gum shellac dissolved in alcohol to the consistency of paint, and applied 

 to the wounded surface with a small paint brush. 



After the orchard has been planted, unless the soil is moist and mellow 

 and in prime condition, the trees should be immediately watered. It is 

 best to run furrows at once with a shovel plow, or other suitable imple- 

 ment. Have these sufficiently near the trees so that the moisture may be 

 easily diffused around the roots when the water is turned on. If the soil 

 is rather heavy and .compact, it is sometimes best to make a trench or 

 basin around each tree to have the soil properly saturated. Use a suffici- 

 ent volume of water to run slowly along the rows, and when it it com- 

 pletely through, and the ground around the trees deeply moistened, shut 

 the water off; never let it remain and soak and flood your grounds. 

 Where a mixed orchard is to be planted, care should be exercised to lay 

 it out so that those trees which require the least water will receive the 



