972 



Gardening for Amateurs 



of the cuts made in pruning must also be con- 

 sidered. A long slanting cut not only pro- 

 claims the bad workman, but it calls for 

 greater expenditure of energy on the part 

 of the tree than does the short clean cut near 

 the bud. This brings us to the question of 

 cutting close to the bud. To leave a portion 

 of wood \ inch thick, sometimes more, means 

 that above the bud there will be decay, and 

 this not infrequently threatens the bud in 

 addition (see page 971). 



Knife v. Secateurs. Whatever the tools 

 used in pruning, let them be sharp and work- 

 manlike. Always pare over with a sharp 

 knife or chisel wounds made in pruning with 

 a saw. The old controversy of knife v. seca- 

 teurs has with many of us resolved itself into 

 a mere matter of expediency. Where a large 

 amount of pruning has to be done each 

 winter it is found that secateurs expedite 

 the work considerably, and when the tools 

 in question are really good ones there need 

 be small occasion for finding fault with the 

 work done by them. 



Time after time we have been advised not 

 to prune in hard, frosty weather, but we never 

 yet saw damage done to a tree as the result 

 of such treatment. On the other hand, those 

 who have ample time and opportunity for 

 the work need not push on with pruning 

 except when favourable conditions prevail. 



It is a matter for some congratulation to 

 the writers and teachers on this subject that 

 there has of recent years been a greater ten- 

 dency to look upon pruning from a common- 

 sense standpoint. There is not now quite 

 the belief in cutting to an exact number of 

 buds, nor the same desire for severe restric- 

 tion. Would-be pruners should always re- 

 member that in the case of trees in ordinary 

 health and vigour hard pruning will only 

 cause increased growth at the expense of 

 fruitfulness. 



Summer Pruning. This is a very simple 

 matter, yet its practice has an important 

 bearing on the welfare of the trees. It con- 

 sists in pinching off or cutting off the ends 

 of the side shoots immediately above the 

 sixth leaf late in July or early in August 

 (a week or two earlier when dealing with 

 trees on walls). Other small shoots will 

 start into growth from the upper leaf axils. 

 and if the amateur has the time at his dis- 



posal these also should be " stopped " when 

 they have formed one or two leaves. The 

 effect of summer pruning is to assist in the 

 development of fruit buds at the base of 

 the side shoots and to prevent the tree 

 wasting its energies in producing a lot of 

 leaf growth that eventually has to be cut 

 away. It is not practised on Peach, Nectar- 

 ine, Morello Cherry, Fig and Black Currant, 

 but all other hardy fruit trees are benefited. 

 The terminal shoots those at the ends of 

 the branches must not be cut at all at 

 summer pruning, only at winter pruning. 



Winter Washes for Fruit Trees. 

 During December and January fruit trees 

 and bushes which have been infested with 

 pests in the past season should be treated 

 with a strong wash of some kind, and even 

 as a preventive against infection the prac- 

 tice is fully justified. A good strong wash 

 at this time is often sufficient to eradicate 

 pests entirely, so that better-conditioned 

 and more prolific trees are the result. Those 

 mentioned below are easily made, efficient, 

 and economical. In all cases the quantities 

 given are for making about 5 gallons of the 

 wash. 



Lime-Sulphur Wash. Place 1 Ib. of quick- 

 lime in a dish of some kind, add a very 

 little water, and stir it up until the bottom 

 of the dish is covered with the paste ; now 

 add a like quantity of fine sulphur and 

 enough water to give a liquid of creamy con- 

 sistency, and again stir up until the violent 

 boiling shows that the lime is slaking. Let 

 this mixture stand for a day, stirring it 

 occasionally, then add sufficient water to 

 make 5 gallons, strain through a fine sieve 

 and spray on the trees. In France, where 

 this liquid is widely employed on Vines, 

 Roses, and fruit trees, the lime and sulphur 

 are boiled together in a pot of water for 

 half an hour, and the material diluted when 

 cool. This preparation does not scorch the 

 foliage, and it may be used in summer ; it 

 has a whitewashing effect on the branches. 



Caustic Wash. Various kinds of caustic 

 washes are used in horticulture, but the fol- 

 lowing possesses the merit of acting at one 

 time as a fungicide and as a most powerful 

 insecticide. Stir Ib. of bluestone or sul- 

 phate of copper into \ gallon of hot water, 

 then add \ Ib. or so of quicklime to 4J 



