PRUNING TREES. 



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PRUNING TREES. 



pruning of fruit-trees, with the following 

 results : 



1. It imposes on the tree a form in 

 keeping with the place it is intended to 

 occupy. 



2. It leads to the principal branches of 

 the tree being furnished with fruiting 

 branches in all its extent. 



3. It renders the fructification more 

 equal, by suppressing superabundant flower 

 buds, and encouraging new ones for the 

 following year. 



4. It determines the production of larger 

 fruit, and of better quality, by regulating 

 the supply of nourishment to the fruit- 

 bearing branches. 



In fruit-trees in a state of nature the sap 

 is distributed equally, because the tree 

 follows its natural tendency, which is to 

 develop perpendicular branches ; and as 

 the tendency of the sap is to ascend to the 

 loftier branches, the ramifications of the 

 base of the stem come to languish, and 

 finally dry up altogether into hard wood ; 

 it is, therefore, indispensable to the pro- 

 duction of fruit to overcome this natural 

 tendency of the sap. Let us imagine an 

 espalier-trained tree in which the equilibrium 

 of vegetation is broken. We know that 

 the sap is attracted by the leaves, and that 

 by suppressing a sufficient number of the 

 leaf buds upon the branches, growing with 

 superfluous vigour, the sap flowing into 

 them will be diminished, and an increased 

 quantity will fall to the weaker branches, 

 whose leaves are kept untouched ; therefore 

 suppress, as early as possible, all useless 

 buds on strong branches, and retain them 

 as long as possible on weak ones. 



The sap acts with greatest force upon 

 the shoots thrown out by vertical branches ; 

 weak branches will be assisted, therefore, 

 by being placed in a vertical position, and 

 strong ones repressed by being trained 

 horizontally, or by having their extremities 

 arched downwards. 



In removing the leaves from a strong 

 shoot, in order to restore the balance to a 

 weak one, it is necessary to remember that 

 without a due proportion of leaves to 

 attract and elaborate the sap, the branch 

 will perish ; the leaves removed, therefore, 

 must be sufficient to restore the equilibrium, 

 and no more ; and they must be removed 

 in such a manner as to preserve the petiole, 

 or leaf stalk, on the branch. 



Fruit has the property of attracting sap, 

 and elaborating it for its increase ; and it 

 follows that a superabundance of sap will 

 be drawn to the stronger branches. Leave 

 all the fruit possible on the strong, and 

 suppress them upon the weaker branches. 



A solution of sulphate of iron, in the 

 proportion of one grain to a pint of water, 

 applied after sunset to the green leaves and 

 leaf buds of weak branches, is rapidly 

 absorbed by the leaves, and powerfully 

 stimulates their action upon the ascending 

 root sap of fruit-trees. 



By detaching weak branches from the 

 wall or espalier to which they are fixed, 

 they receive an increased amount of light 

 and air on both sides. As light is the chief 

 agent employed in the elaboration of the 

 sap, its energy will thus be largely in- 

 creased. But this must not be done until 

 the end of May, when any danger from 

 frosts may be considered as past. The 

 same result is obtained by covering the 

 stronger branches from the light. 



The sap develops itself much more 

 vigorously under short pruning than under 

 long branches. If, then, it is desired to 

 obtain wood branches, prune short : when 

 the branches are vigorous they develop few 

 flower buds. On the contrary, if it is 

 desired to develop fruit-bearing branches, 

 prune long ; the less vigorous branches de- 

 velop abundance of flower buds. Another 

 application of this principle, to re-establish 

 the vigour of a tree exhausted by a heavy 

 crop, is to prune it short the following 



