Pruning and Training 



centre of the tree it is very inferior, small and un- 

 ripened. 



The same principles must be applied whatever 

 the kind of tree, but the actual method of pruning 

 differs in each case. This is chiefly because the fruit 

 buds are sometimes produced on the young wood 

 and sometimes on the older wood. In cutting away 

 wood to admit light and air it is obvious that the 

 wood which bears the fruit buds must be left. 



Beginners should first learn to distinguish be- 

 tween fruit buds and wood buds, 



WINTER PRUNING. 



A sharp knife should be used for winter pruning 

 hard-wooded trees, such as apple and pear trees. 

 I do not know of any make of secateurs or pruning 

 shears which will make a clean cut. Instruments of 

 this kind bruise the bark before actually cutting the 

 wood, and a dead ring of bark remains. Cuts like 

 this do not heal quickly, rot sets in, and this is 

 difficult to arrest once it gets started. Canker 

 fungus and Woolly Aphis (American blight) also 

 readily obtain a hold in such places as these. 



A sharp knife leaves a clean cut which heals 

 quickly. Then again it is not possible to cut close 

 to a bud with secateurs, and therefore, later on, a 

 dead piece of wood about an inch long will be found 

 where the cut was made. 



THE PRUNING OF " BUSH " APPLES AND PEARS. 



In both cases the fruit buds will be found chiefly 

 on the wood which is more than one year old. 

 These bads may be easily distinguished from wood 

 buds, as they are much larger than the latter both 



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