164 THE PRINCIPLES OF AGRICULTURE 



ing of wounds and the injury to the plant, and 

 upon the general results which it is desired to 

 attain. Knowing how wounds affect the plant, 

 the pruner should then have a definite purpose 

 in view when he cuts a limb. 



281. The proper healing of wounds depends 

 primarily upon (a) the kind of plant (observe 

 that peach trees heal less readily than apples), 

 (b) the vigor of the plant, (c) the position of the 

 wound on the plant (wounds on strong main 

 limbs heal better than those on weak or side 

 limbs), (d) the length of the stump — the shorter 

 the stump the quicker the healing, — (e) the 

 character of the wound as to smoothness or 

 roughness. 



282. Other matters which determine the 

 proper healing of a large wound are (/) the 

 healthfulness of the wood, {g) the season of the 

 year in which the cut is made, (h) the protec- 

 tion which the wound receives. 



283. (g) Other things being the same, wounds 

 heal quicker when made in the early part of the 

 gi'owing season, — that is, in late spring ; but the 

 factors mentioned in 281 are more important 

 than the season. 



284. (Ji) Dressings do not, of themselves, 

 hasten the healing of wounds, but they may 

 keep the wound sound and healthy until it heals 

 of itself. A good di'essing is one which is anti- 



