30 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



December, 



About Pruning Trees. 



In no part of what may be called popular 

 gardening, is there greater need of increased 

 knowledge, than in that which relates to the 

 pruning of shade and other trees. The 

 damage done every year by bad pruning is 

 simply appalling. To say that some self- 

 styled tree pruners never touch a tree with 

 saw and knife but to sadly mar it's beauty, 

 and shorten its life by years for each bung- 

 ling assault, is not away from the truth. 



Fig, l.-Bad and Good Pruning, tlie former shown to 

 the left, the iatter to the right, side. 



Tree owners, especially in our villages and 

 towns, submit to the imposition of this class, 

 when if they were to order them off the 

 place and themselves direct the work of 

 pruning, it could be rightly done as easily as 

 otherwise. We propose in the present arti- 

 cle, to throw some light on this subject, and 

 especially as to pruning large branches. 



It is on street trees more than any others 

 that the pruning away of comparatively large 

 branches is done. Trees planted here, 

 are usually from ten to fifteen feet high 

 when they are set. So far as looks go, or as 

 the matter of providing shade early is con- 

 cerned, a liberal top is wanted on these from 

 the day they are planted. 



For the first ten years, therefore, there is 

 no thought about pruning, usually. But l)j- 

 and by the tree tops reacli upward and out- 

 ward on all sides, and the branches soon 

 meet those of their neighbors, or nearly so. 

 This point reached with most kinds, and 

 there is not only an obstruction to the view 

 of the street as seen from the house, but also 

 closeness is created about the place through 

 the shade, and the intei'ferencc of the tops 

 with a free circulation of air. To prune the 

 lower branches off, properly comes as a sug- 

 gestion to the owner's mind. 



To the left side of fig. 1 is shown how 

 many ignorant pruners leave the job of cut- 

 ting away a branch. As the easiest way of 

 doing the work, they sever it, some ways 

 from the trimk, leaving a stump, as if to 

 hang a horse collar on. Right in this act is 

 where trouble begins. 



What a tree owner should know enough 

 to do if his workman does not. is to insist in 

 all pruning. Ihat in.stead of leaving a snag 

 like tliis, the cutting be done close to the 

 main part, as shown by the scar on the right 

 side of the same figure. Tlien the scar .should 

 be thickly painted to keep out moisture. 



Pruning of rather large branches, is at all 

 events a harsh stroke to a tree. But nature 

 in such cases if not hindered, at once sets 

 about recovering the tree from it. One of 

 the first things is to heal the exposed 

 part, by covering it with new bark. This is 

 most important for preventing the exposure 

 of vital parts to the elements and to decay. It 

 is as to this point, that the difference between 



the good and bad pruning illustrated, comes 

 in, as may be seen by our other engravings. 



The projecting stump of fig. 1 alluded to, 

 of course prevents any closing up of the 

 wound by new bark, here, for its end dries 

 up and prevents growth where the cut was 

 made, and there is no chance for this any 

 nearer to the trunk. Fig. 2 on page 39 shows 

 the appearance of such bad pruning six years 

 later. One has not to walk the shaded streets 

 of any town far, to meet illustrations of this. 



Fig. 3 represents another stage reached in 

 the effects of bad jjruning. But this is not 

 the last, for now an opening has rotted out, 

 exposing the very heart of the tree to moisture 

 and air. With this comes as a consequence, 

 decay to the center. The final end of such 

 blundering work is early death. 



Fig. 4 on the other hand, bj' illustrating 

 two scars, .show the later results of rightly 

 jiruniug close to the trunk. The one scar 

 is almost closed over with new bark; the 

 other is entirely so, leaving this part of the 

 tree as sound and well protected as any other 

 part, just as it should be. 



A fine tree ordinarily is of great value, 

 requiring many years to reach Its prime. 

 What a great pity it is, that so many trees 

 are sacrificed to ignorance in pruning, every 

 year. If the simple points laid down in the 

 foregoing are observed by our readers, they 

 need make no mistakes in this matter. 



Women as Commercial Florists. 



That women may find in some of the 

 lighter branches of horticulture employment 

 that is both pleasant and remunerative to 

 them, has frequently been jjroven in late 

 years. This is especially true in that con- 

 stantly increasing business, namely: the 

 growing and selling of flowers. 



In each one of half-a-dozen cities that 

 could be named, there are female florists 

 who are meeting with perfect success at 

 their business. We refer here to such as are 

 themselves jjroprietors and managers, and 

 who have to comiietc with florists of the 

 other sex, recognized for their ta.ste and bus- 



Fig. 4.— Scars of Rightly Pruned Branches healed over. 



iness qualifications. The women in these 

 cases seem, with little effort in the way of 

 advertising or outside display, to work into 

 a thrifty business that adheres closely to them. 

 Besides as being propriet(irs, many wo- 

 men work at fair wases at the flower coun- 

 ters, in arranging bouquets and designs, 

 stemming, and so on. For this kind of work 

 a woman really has some advantages over a 

 man. She naturally possesses a keener sense 

 of what is jjroper in comljining flowers, and 

 in handling them her fingers are more deft. 

 These are points customers appreciate. 



In the managing of a large range of green 

 houses, merely as growers, as is done about 

 the large cities, we are not aware that wo- 

 men are often proprietors. But in the neigh- 

 borhood of small towns and in the villages, 

 to meet the demands of a moderate general 

 trade, this is frequently the case. In such 

 instances, it usually amounts to this, that a 

 good share of the business is in cut flowers. 



It .should be remembered, that the growing 

 and selling of jilants and the growing and 

 selling of flowers, ma.y be quite distinct. 

 It is more particularly in the latter branch, 

 which is considered to be the most profit- 

 able, as it also is the lightest and most pleas- 

 ant branch of the business, in which a woman 

 usually finds herself best at home. 



Fig. S.^Decay as a result of Bad Pruning. 

 Besides the cut flower trade there are the 

 pursuits of growing fruit, vegetables, plants, 

 seeds, and the finer arts of hybridizing, 

 teaching botanj' and others, all of which are 

 suitable for females to engage in. It being 

 the mission of Popul.\r Gardeneng to 

 throw light upon these subjects as they bear 

 upon pleasure and profit seeking, there will 

 be in future issues other matter relating to 

 these as occupations for women. 



The Chrysanthemum. 



It is not too much to say of this fine Asi- 

 atic flower, that in the present da}' it is hon- 

 ored by attentions such as no other flower, 

 the Rose alone excepted, receives. And yet 

 while positively everybody is acquainted with 

 the Rose, the same thing is quite far from 

 true, as regards the C'hrysanthemum. Go 

 where one might and persons of intelligence 

 could be found, who woidd be unable to 

 name the flower if they saw it. 



Only the other day at the Chrysanthemum 

 Show in Buffalo, a reporter on his first visit 

 here, pointed to a group of large Palms jiujt 

 inside the hall in which the show was held, 

 and asked in all earnestness, "are those 

 Chrysanthemums?" Whoever .sees but the 

 life-like engravings of this flower herewith, 

 ought never to make such a l)lunder. 



But the Chrysanthemum is fast growing in 

 popularity. Tliis is evident for one thing in 

 tlie Shows devoted every year to this flower 

 alone, in nearly all large towns. The fact 

 that it is possible to get up successful exhibi- 

 tions, year after year, mostly of one flower, 

 speaks much for its worth; few indeed are 

 the kinds that eotdd bear this test. 



Let us glance at the qualities which go to 

 give the Chrvsanthenuun its prominent place 

 among flowers. First of all, it is one of the 

 easiest of plants to succeed with. Amateurs, 

 however unskilled they may be as plant grow- 

 ers, are sure of a liberal reward in flowers, 

 for the pains they may bestow on plants of 

 these, while accomplished plant raisers as 



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