INJURIES. 15 



Time to prune. Pruning may be done when it is most convenient 

 unless "bleeding" (p. 21) is induced. That is most apt to occur 

 in early spring or early fall. Late winter is usually best because 

 there is then little sap movement and the absence of foliage makes 

 the work easier. (See .p. 8.) 



Injuries 



Broken limbs. Every broken limb should be cleared away 

 promptly by a cut, or succession of cuts, that leave a wound which 

 will heal quickly. Small limbs can be taken off by a single cut, 

 larger ones require three, as indicated at B, figure n. It is im- 

 portant to use a sharp saw, make the final cut close to the larger 

 member and be careful that the bark at the bottom is not torn. A 

 wound shaped as indicated at RIGHT, figure 10, will heal most 

 quickly ; one shaped as indicated at WRONG will heal more slowly at 

 the top because the arch is flatter, and very slowly at the bottom be- 

 cause the bark is torn away. A stub as at C, figure n, should never 

 be left. The face of the wound should be treated as directed on page 

 14. Cement will do harm rather than good. 



,WCONG 



ar 



Fig. 10. Cut Marked RIGHT is Healing Properly and 

 Quickly. Cut Marked WRONG is Healing Slowly, and 

 Not at All at the Bottom, Where the Bark is Torn. 

 Every Wound on a Tree that Can be so Treated, 

 Whether a Mere Bark Bruise or the Stub of a Severed 

 Limb, Should be Trimmed to a Long, Regular Oval. 



