PRUNING 



across, that is, parallel with the ground, but should 

 be slanting. This will keep the water from rotting 

 out the wood too quickly before the bud starts and 

 the shoots are established. The cut should be clean. 

 An ordinary pan- of gardening pruning shears is the 

 best implement for this work. These shears must 

 be kept sharp, otherwise they leave rough edges and 

 bruise the bark, which then will not heal. 



The most comfortable way in which to prune is 

 to have a heavy square of carpet placed on the 

 ground on which one may either sit or kneel. It is 

 impossible to do any great amount of pruning unless 

 some such method is used; to keep the dampness 

 from coming through the carpet should be doubled 

 over at least once. Persons having trouble with 

 their eyes should be very careful to use their glasses 

 hi this work, as more minute attention is required 

 than one would think. The foregoing suggestions 

 apply mainly to a large amount of pruning, but even 

 where the plants are few it would perhaps be best to 

 employ this method, as the operation would certainly 

 be much more comfortable. In all pruning a pah* of 

 heavy gloves will be found a necessary protection. 



In the autumn the only pruning necessary is to 

 cut down the bushes so that the fibrous feeding 

 roots will not be^broken by the thrashing about of 

 the tops in the heavy winter winds. It is quite 



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