152 



PRUNING OF PLANTS 



cuts must be made. The branch should be sawed off about 

 a foot above the point of its origin in order to prevent the 

 splitting down and the tearing off of a large portion of bark. 

 To do this, first cut away a large portion of the branch, which 

 will aid in lessening the weight of the limb. Next make a 

 cut on the under side of the branch about half-way through 

 the limb and then finish the removal of the branch by sawing 

 it through from the top. 



FIG. 66. -Method of cutting off a large limb. Note the two cuts. Dotted 

 line indicates where the last cut should be made after the limb has been 

 removed. 



Pruning the Top of a Plant. The pruning of the branches of 

 a plant is the only way of forming a good symmetrical top. 

 The forming of the head of a tree is by far the most important 

 operation in the growing of a plant. This is true not only of 

 the commercial orchard but of the home orchard or the orna- 

 mental garden. Shade trees also require some systematic 

 pruning, because their beauty largely depends upon the uni- 

 formity of their top both in their dormant as well as in their 

 green state. 



