PRUNING 249 



bacco, to prevent exhaustion of the plant by the for- 

 mation of seed. 



De-tasseling is the removal of the staminate flowers 

 (tassels) of undesirable plants of Indian corn, to prevent 

 pollination from them (150). 



Suckering is the removal of shoots that start about 

 the base of the stem, or in the axils of the leaves, as in 

 Indian corn or tobacco. Its object is to prevent ex- 

 haustion of the plant by the production of needless 

 shoots. 



Disbudding is the removal of buds, to prevent the 

 development of undesirable shoots or flowers. 



Ringing is the removal of a narrow belt of bark about 

 a branch, to obstruct the current of prepared food (138). 



Notching is the cutting of a notch ju'st above or below 

 a bud or twig to modify its growth. 



Thinning fruit is the removal of a part of the fruits 

 upon a plant, to permit the remaining ones to attain 

 larger size, and to prevent exhaustion of the plant by 

 excessive seed production. 



De-flowering or de-fruiting is the removal of flower-buds 

 or fruits to prevent exhaustion of the plant (139). 



Root pruning is the shortening of the roots of plants in 

 the soil, to check growth, or to stimulate the formation 

 of branch roots nearer the trunk (104). 



Sprouting is the removal of sterile shoots or water 

 sprouts from the upper part of the grape vine. 



417. The season for pruning. The milder kinds of 

 pruning, such as pinching and disbudding, may be per- 

 formed whenever the necessity for them appears. But 

 in perennial plants, severe pruning, such as the removal 

 of branches of considerable size, is generally least inju- 

 rious if performed during the dormant period. Since the 



