236 GARDEN LABOURS WITH PLANTS. 



therefore, the separation of all branches from living plants ought to be 

 made by cutting or sawing across at very nearly a right angle to the direc- 

 tion of the stem, or branch, in order that it may be the more rapidly 

 healed over. When due attention is not paid to this rule, and the cut is 

 made very obliquely to the line of the shoot, a wedgelike stump is left 

 protruding beyond the bud or branch as in fig. 1G4, a, which never can be 

 healed over, and which, consequently, soon decays, and dis- 

 figures and injures the tree, by retaining water and bring- 

 ing on the rot ; but when the cut is made not more than 

 the thickness of the branch above the bud or shoot, and 

 nearly directly across as at &, the wound is healed over com- 

 pletely and in the shortest possible time. It must be 

 observed, however, that the distance of the cut above the 

 bud must depend in a great measure on the porosity of the 

 1 'Improperly M/';b a wo d f tne shoot, and the proportion of its diameter which 

 branch cut properly, is occupied by the pith ; for if the raspberry and the vine 

 were cut close above the bud, the shoot would dry up beyond the bud, and 

 prevent it from developing itself. Hence, in all such cases, and even 

 sometimes in common fruit-trees, it is customary to make the first cut an 

 inch or more above the bud ; and when the shoot has grown and produced 

 two or three perfect leaves, to cut off the remaining stump. This would be 

 the best mode in every case, but as it occasions double labour, the risk of its 

 not being attended to induces most persons to cut near to the bud at once. 

 For the pruning of all branches, or the cutting over of all stems under two 

 inches in diameter, the pruning shears which cut nearly directly across, 

 and of which there are different sizes for branches of different degrees of 

 thickness, are greatly to be preferred to the knife, bill, or axe. (See 

 fig. 47, p. 130.) 



546. Clipping in gardening is chiefly applied to hedges, and to the edgings 

 of walks or beds, when composed of dwarf box or under shrubs. The com- 

 mon hedge shears differ from the pruning shears in crushing the shoot 

 which is clipped, on both sides of the section (see p. 139), and hence clipping 

 is not a desirable mode of pruning plants in general ; nor from the want 

 of mechanical power are the common hedge shears applicable to any shoots, 

 except those of one, or at most two years' growth. In clipping box or 

 other edgings which are in a straight direction, a line is generally stretched 

 close alongside the box at the height to which it is to be clipped. The 

 top of the edging is then clipped down to the proper height, after which the 

 line is taken up, and stretched along the centre of the top of the edging ; 

 and the width of the top being determined on, the sides are cut accordingly, 

 leaving the edging somewhat wider at the bottom than at the top. The 

 height and width of edgings vary according to the width of the walks, or 

 beds, and the taste of the gardener ; two inches wide and three inches high 

 are ordinary proportions ; but some gardeners prefer having their edgings 

 smaller, as less likely to harbour vermin. The ordinary time for clipping 

 edgings is the spring ; before the shoots of the season are made ; but many 

 gardeners prefer waiting till the shoots have been completed, and clip in 

 June, after which the plants put out one or two leaves at the points of most 

 of the shoots, which thus obliterate the marks of the shears on the other 

 leaves. With box this appears to be decidedly the best mode. Where 

 lines of edgings are not straight, they are of course clipped by the eye 



