THE PRUNING-BOOK 



CHAPTER I 



THE PHILOSOPHY OF PRUNING 



A lilac branch is shown in the engraving on 

 the opposite page (Fig. 1). Its most important 

 characteristic, as of any branch, is the fact that 

 iN various parts are unlike. We must discover 

 the reasons for these unlikenesses or differences. 



The branch is five years old. The dates mark 

 the termination of the growth of each year. 

 The terminal growths all grew in 1897. Since 

 the branches of any year spring from buds which 

 were formed the previous year, we can determine 

 the normal method of branching of the lilac by 

 examining the buds upon the current year's 

 growths. The branches a and b are each seen 

 to have five pairs of buds. The buds are on op- 

 posite sides of the branch. The twig growth 

 or branching of the lilac, therefore, should be a 

 successive series of forks; but such is notably not 

 the case. In other words, the normal method of 

 branching has not taken place; and the reason is, 



