292 The Principles of Fruit-growing. 



two large limbs had been -girdled last year, and these 

 limbs were bending with fruit whilst the remaining 

 branches and the adjacent trees were barren. Gir- 

 dling may generally be done with safety in spring, 

 when the leaves are putting out. A ring of bark two 

 or three inches wide may be removed clear to the 

 wood, and entirely encircling the limb. I have heard 

 of excellent results following the simple ringing of 

 trees, which consists in severing the bark but remov- 

 ing none of it completely around the tree with a 

 sharp knife, in spring. These are, of course, only 

 incidental operations, to be employed with caution, 

 and then only upon branches of less importance. 

 Their value is wholly one of experiment, to aid the 

 owner in determining what fundamental treatment the 

 orchard probably needs."* 



Pruning and heading -in. The subject of pruning 

 cannot be understood until the fundamental principles 

 of the practice are clearly apprehended. It is, there- 

 fore, well -nigh useless to state any general rules or 

 precepts for the pruning of trees in a work like the 

 present. It is only necessary to say that a heavy 

 pruning upsets the habit of the tree, and generally 

 sets it into the heavy production of wood for a time. 

 The only proper pruning is one which is applied in 

 something like the same proportion every year, and 

 which begins the very year in which the plants are 

 put into the ground. Trees which are alternately 

 neglected and heavily pruned are kept in a condition 



*Bull. 102, Cornell Exp. Sta., 519 (Oct., 1895). A fuller discussion of ring- 

 ing may be found in "The Pruning- Book." 



