254 



AMEEICAN HOME GARDEN. 



Fig - 122 - . vious neglect, watch it, and prevent 



gluttonous growth by nipping and 

 summer pruning. Winter pruning 

 may generally be performed at any 

 time between the first black frost in 

 fall and the opening of spring ; but 

 the fall, except, perhaps., in cli- 

 mates of excessive severity, is great- 

 ly preferable for this purpose, the 

 cuts being made at a little distance 

 outside of the extreme bud left upon 

 the branch. 



SUMMER PRUNING. 



Summer pruning is'generally used 

 to prevent an undue or unsightly 

 growth in any one portion of the 

 tree or plant, or to check its luxuri- 

 An old neglected tree that has been ance, and thereby induce fruiting. 



roughly over-pruned, and "glut- T ' . , 



tons" formed. It may be done to very great ad- 



vantage by simply nipping with the thumb and finger, or with 

 a pair of small pocket trimming shears, the young shoots that 

 start improperly or with a disproportionate vigor. A child 

 may do it with a toy knife, or a lady with her scissors, and 

 make a marked improvement in the condition of a tree even in 

 a single year, and save very much of the labor of winter prun- 

 ing. 



For this purpose, carefully watch the putting forth of the 

 shoots, and if one threatens to cross another, nip it ; if a num- 

 ber of young shoots are thrown inward into the head of the 

 tree, thickening it up, nip them all out, so as to give to the 

 young forming head the openness which you will find impor- 

 tant when it comes into bearing. See Fig. 121 d, p. 252. If 

 the leading upright shoot threatens to grow so strong as to 

 discourage or prevent the formation of the necessary side shoots 

 for a head, nip it, and thus throw the circulation into the side 

 channels. If any one of the branches threatens to become 

 gluttonous, growing with excessive, or, at least, disproportion- 



