SUMMER PRUNING 71 



weak buds are left, and the result is that they do not 

 develop so rapidly ; only three or four of the upper 

 ones start at all, producing a topheavy and unsatis- 

 factory plant. Sheep shears are very convenient for 

 this summer pruning, or it may be quickly done by 

 merely pinching out the tip with the thumb and finger. 

 In a young plantation, where the old canes do not in- 

 terfere, a large knife, sharpened on both edges, is prob- 

 ably more convenient than either. With older bushes, 

 the cutting should be done at a point lower than the 

 top of the old bushes, so that a knife is not likely to 

 work so well. With a knife in one hand and shears in 

 the other, the workman can meet any condition quickly. 

 Theoretically, a smooth, slanting cut would appear to 

 be better than breaking them off with the thumb and 

 finger, leaving an irregular, ragged end. An experi- 

 ment to test this, however, proved that it makes no 

 difference, for the canes nearly always die back to the 

 first bud in either case. 



One clipping is sufficient, although it is necessary to 

 go over the plantation two or three times, for the 

 shoots do not all reach the desired height at once. 

 Eighteen to twenty -four inches is about the height at 

 which to clip the canes, if done when they reach that 

 height. If allowed to grow too high before clipping, 

 they should not be cut back quite so close. Clipping 

 the laterals after they have grown twelve or fifteen 

 inches, to make them branch again, has been sometimes 

 recommended, but there is little, if any, advantage in 

 it, while it makes an added expense in summer, and 

 also in the spring pruning. It also results in produc- 



