Fruit-growing 245 



tends toward the production of branches and leaves ; pruning 

 in summer, toward blossoms and fruit production. In a rightly 

 pruned orchard, there is a balance between these growths. 

 Excessive pruning in the winter will result in the formation of 

 many water sprouts and much foliage, and the production of 

 fruit will be checked. Excessive pruning in the summer will 

 often diminish the wood growth too much. In practice orchard- 

 ists prune their trees a little each winter, and in the summer, 

 whenever they see a branch that should be removed, they cut it 

 off. If a young orchard is properly pruned from the beginning, 

 the trees will be kept in a good balance and the best results ob- 

 tained. If pruning is neglected, poor results must be expected. 



Tools used for pruning. Knives, shears, and saws are 

 the tools used in pruning. For small trees knives and shears 

 are all that are usually necessary; for large trees saws must 

 sometimes be used. Several types of saws are on the market 

 and care must be taken to select a kind that will not injure 

 adjacent branches. Saws with teeth on both edges of the 

 blade are not satisfactory, because they are likely to saw into 

 the wood of an adjacent branch. 



How to remove a branch. When removing a branch, one 

 should be sure to cut close to the parent branch. Stubs left 

 on the tree are a source of injury ; the wood of the stub soon 

 decays and this decay enters the tree. When pruning off a 

 large limb, care should be taken to avoid splitting the limb 

 to which it is attached. A cut should first be made an inch 

 or so into the limb on the under side, then an incision cut 

 on the upper side about an inch or so nearer the parent branch. 

 The- limb can then be sawed off. Without this precaution 

 the weight of the limb may cause the bark on the lower side 

 to split and be carried down on the parent branch. After the 

 cuts have been made in this way the wound should be trimmed 

 close to the tree. All wounds except small ones should be 

 painted over with white-lead paint or some wound dressing to 

 stop the entrance of rot-producing organisms. 



