HORTICULTURE 79 



movement, the blade being arranged on a sliding joint which pro- 

 vides for the drawing motion of a knife as the shears close. 



Shears for Pruning Hedges. For the care of hedges, both 

 deciduous and evergreen, the ordinary hedge shears, consisting of 

 long straight blades with comparatively short handles, which are 

 grasped in either hand, are most satisfactory. 



For High Branches. Where the pruning required consists of 

 the removal of small branches high up in the trees, which can not be 

 done by the operator standing upon the ground and which would 

 necessitate the use of a ladder, the shears have been modified so as 

 to be attached to a pole which enables an operator standing upon the 

 ground to remove branches several feet above his head. These shears 

 are subject to the same objection as those previously described, that 

 they cut by a crushing process, but nevertheless they are exceedingly 

 useful and economical for the removal of water sprouts and for cut- 

 ting back leading shoots in tall trees. 



Pruning Saws. Where the removal of large branches becomes 

 necessary, a saw must be substituted for the knife or the shears. In 

 such cases it is frequently desirable that the saw be so constructed that 

 it will cut with a drawing motion rather than when pushed from the 

 operator. There is a saw upon the market which combines both 

 features, that of cutting on the downward stroke and on the upward 

 stroke, one edge of the saw being provided with teeth for each motion. 

 The blade of the saw is also curved, which enables one to reach some 

 distance above his head and by drawing the saw toward him have it 

 cut very freely on the downward stroke, which it would not do were it 

 straight or provided with teeth set in the opposite direction. This 

 type is exceedingly useful w T here the removal of branches of consid- 

 erable size is necessary. Other forms of pruning saw r s are made to be 

 used upon the end of a pole, and some are also provided with a chisel 

 blade at one end so that they can be used for smoothing the cut 

 surface after sawing off a branch, or for cutting off small water 

 sprouts or branches in the same way that they would be cut with a 

 hatchet. This method of removing branches, however, is not to be 

 commended, as it is seldom possible to cut them close to their origin, 

 which is, of course, necessary in order to secure the best results. 



Pruning the Apple. In pruning a fruit-bearing plant like the 

 apple, attention must be given not only to the height and formation 

 of the head, but to the removal of wood as weli. The apple bears its 

 fruit on spurs which are themselves developed from wood one year 

 or more of age. For that reason, therefore, the removal of wood 

 which carries fruit spurs reduces the crop the tree is capable of bear- 

 ing. This then, is a practicable way of thinning the fruit. Besides 

 accomplishing this result pruning can be used to lessen the annual 

 growth and force the energy of the plant which would naturally be 

 used in making wood into the fruit, thus increasing its size or 

 enabling the tree to carry a larger quantity than would be possible 

 were a normal wood growth permitted. 



Forming the Head. Modern orchardists have come to look 

 upon the low-headed tree as more desirable than those headed high. 



