54 



TREE PRUNING. 



wound may be seen. These instructions are equally 

 applicable to the treatment of large wounds, caused 

 by the fall of branches broken by the wind, or by 

 any other cause (Fig. 4). 



Removal of Shoots. During 

 the spring following the opera- 

 tion of pruning, or even sooner 

 if the tree has been pruned 

 during the active flow of sap, 

 numerous shoots are developed 

 along the trunk, and especially 

 along the lower portion of the 

 branches. The number of such 

 F/IT. 50. -on the right an old shoots varies greatly in differ- 



cavity properly treated and stop- 

 ped : and recovered at the end of ent trees; and although they 



twenty years with sound straight- . i ,-\ -\ . / 



grained wood. On the left a wound af6 DOt entirely the TCSUlt of 



of the same sort abandoned and pruning, for Slich shoots appear 

 causing decay to penetrate to the 



heart of the tree. on trees which have never been 



pruned, still it is clear that their number and vigor 

 bear a certain relation to the number and size of the 

 branches removed in pruning, and that the more se- 

 verely a tree is pruned the more of these shoots it will 

 develop. 



The removal of these lateral shoots is essential to 

 a healthy growth of the tree, and may be easily ac- 

 complished with a little pruning hook (Fig. 51), so 

 light that it can be used by a child if necessary. The 

 sharp blade is worked up and down in the direction 

 of the grain of the wood ; the little hook rounded at 

 the end is also sharpened, and can be used in cutting 



