35 



necessary to allude to a few of them here. The stimulating or modi- 

 fying factors which practical gardeners apply to plants show them- 

 selves in various ways. In applying stimuli to plant organisms in 

 the form of mutilations, or pruning, we obtained certain discernable 

 specific reactions which demonstrate that there are certain definite 

 laws underlying these phenomena. To prune intelligently these laws 

 should be understood and if we wish to obtain the best results from 

 pruning they should be taken into consideration. Definite results 

 are obtained by pruning certain organs, but it does not necessarily 

 follow that the results which are produced on one set of organs 

 would be produced on another. 



The application of stimuli to plants is not, however, always condu- 

 cive to the most desirable morphological and physiological develop- 

 ment of the organ- 

 ism, and this holds 

 good for pruning as 

 well as in the appli- 

 cation of other 

 forms of stimuli. 

 For example, tom- 

 atoes can be pruned 

 to such an extent 

 that if they are 

 grown in a well 

 manured soil they 

 exhibit many abnor- 

 mal morphological 

 and physiological 

 character istics. 

 When grown under 

 such conditions they 

 frequently show un- 

 usually large, more 

 or less curled and 

 crumpled, highly 

 7. colored, spotted 



Sh(m>ing corresponding leaves from pruned and leaves. Not infre- 

 unprnned plants. Large leaf from pruned plant : quently in this 

 small leaf from normal or i/npruned plant. method of cultiva 



Fn 



