CHAPTER XVI 



Pruning 



PRUNING, when practised properly, is an aid to trees and shrubs. 

 It not only stimulates growth, but increases fruitfulness at 



certain seasons; it keeps the plant full of healthy, disease- 

 resistant growth, and gives us the privilege of changing the habit. 

 We do admire symmetrical, dense trees, graceful shrubs or stocky 

 hedges, all of which are maintained by pruning. Many times we 

 even admire the picturesque results that can be obtained by making 

 a tree grow out of its natural development. Pruning does stimulate 

 growth because it tends to send the energy to the part of the plant 

 in which it is most wanted. It is well known that a pruned plant 

 inclines to resume its natural habit and that there is always a ten- 

 dency to grow from upper buds. Checking growth usually causes 

 an increase in flower, production. 



Besides the general removal of large branches, pruning includes 

 the process of pinching, or removing undeveloped eyes to check growth 

 in a certain direction; trimming, shortening top and roots at trans- 

 planting; topping, removing the leader or a flower stalk to retain the 

 energy in the plant rather than in making a strong leader or seeds; 

 suckering, the removing of shoots at base of plant to throw the strength 

 into the plant itself. This would include the cutting of shoots from 

 the stock in grafted plants; disbudding, removing of small buds at 

 sides of main ones to throw the food into the perfect production of 

 the larger flower; ringing, the cutting out of a narrow ring of bark from 

 a branch of a tree (in the case of fruit the result is the production of a 

 large specimen due to the fact that the food is all kept at the place 

 beyond the ring) ; root-pruning, the cutting of roots at planting time 

 so that they may be symmetrical and have clean, undecayed surfaces, 

 but the top .must always be shortened proportionately when this is 

 done; sprouting, the cutting out of all sterile, unfruitful branches, 

 which are usually called water sprouts. 



ROSES. If we observe Rose bushes we will be able to see that 

 they bloom from what were the strong shoots the previous season, 

 and that these shoots become weaker when another shoot begins to 

 grow lower down. There is an annual renewal of wood, therefore, 

 and this is why pruning is necessary. Most Roses must be pruned 

 severely at planting. Some climbers are ruined from the start by too 



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