168 



'KI.\( IPLES AND PRACTICE OF PRUXIXG 



cured if they are pruned. For this work nothing equals 

 sharp pruning shears or a heavy sharp knife. Special 

 emphasis is laid upon the "sharp," because the cleaner 

 the cut the better. The work consists in cutting off all 

 injured roots just above the wounds so as to have clean 

 surfaces to develop good calluses and new roots (Fig. 119). 

 About two decades ago the horticultural world was 

 stirred by the Stringfellow or stub-root method, a 



"horticultural heresy," 

 as to the trimming of 

 nursery trees for trans- 

 planting. 



The great apostle of 

 this system, the late 

 H. M. Stringfellow, a 

 prominent horticultur- 

 ist of Texas, advised 

 that the roots of nursery 

 trees be cut to mere 

 stubs a few inches long 

 and the tops to sticks 

 or whips. In some 

 cases absolutely no 

 stumps of roots were 

 left below ground and 

 none of limbs above, 

 the "tree" when thus 

 pruned sometimes being jammed into a hole made in the soil 

 with a crowbar ! One distinct advantage is thus gained 

 planting requires a minimum of time ! A modification of the 

 method is to leave stubs of roots an inch to perhaps 4 

 inches long on the main root axis, and perhaps a few 

 stubs of branches if specially well placed. Tests at a 

 large number of experiment stations show that the 

 method was sometimes an all-around advantage, some- 

 times the reverse. Doubtless the plan cannot be gen- 

 erally recommended. At any rate it has fallen into "in- 



F1G. 119 WHERE NEW ROOTS START 



The roots of this Kieffer pear tree were 

 cut back at planting time. The following 

 spring (a year later) the tree had developed 

 new roots as shown. Note that most of them 

 appear near the cut ends of the old roots. 

 The injuries were caused by careless digging. 

 Roots so injured should be cut back just above 

 the wounds so as to leave clean, smooth sur- 

 faces which will heal over better and quicker 

 than will ragged and badly dried tissues. 



