December Making Plans 



a bud or two of the base. Black Currants bear the best 

 fruit on the past summer's growths, therefore these are 

 retained to provide the following year's crop, older ones 

 being cut out to make room for them. 



The subject of pruning fruit trees is not so complex 

 as it seems. The items of importance are to take steps, by 

 lifting and root pruning, to prevent the trees making 

 excessive growth during the first few years ; to shorten 

 the leading branches by one-third each autumn to force 

 all buds to start into growth in spring; to keep the 

 branches thinly disposed ; to cut out worthless and super- 

 fluous shoots ; to shorten the side shoots in summer and 

 further to prune them in winter. 



Pruning Newly Planted Fruit Trees. To prune or 

 not to prune is the problem that confronts the gardener 

 who has planted fruit trees since last October. Some 

 growers advise one course, some another, but the weight 

 of opinion inclines to the practice of postponing the 

 pruning until the second spring. It is argued that if the 

 trees are hard pruned now, the growths that will develop 

 during the coming summer will be of such poor quality 

 as to be practically useless, owing to the fact that the 

 trees have not sufficiently recovered from the disturbance 

 to their roots to make normal growth. Thus they will 

 be at a disadvantage in a year's time compared with 

 those left untouched. The latter will have had time to 

 recuperate, and hard pruning in spring, some fifteen or 

 sixteen months after planting, will force the basal buds 

 into vigorous growth, whereas similar buds on trees 

 pruned a year previously will have produced more or 

 less useless stems. 



In the Kitchen Garden 



There is not very much to do among the vegetables 

 during this month, especially if the ground is wet. If, 

 however, it should prove comparatively dry, opportunity 



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