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POMOLOGY, GARDENING, FORESTRY, HORTICULTURE, RURAL ARCHITECTURE, BEES. 



Vol. II. Des Moines, Iowa; Leavenworth, Kan., Feb., 1871. 



No. 



MARK MILLER, 

 Editor and PiiMlsher. - - Des Moines, Iowa. 



DR. J. STAYMAN, 

 Atsoclate Editor, - - Leavenworth, Kamm. 



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Sbould Trees be Pruned ?— The Pbllosoptay of 

 Vegetable Oroivth. No. 2. 



By the Associate Editor. 



In our former article We gave the general theorj' 

 and the arguments based upon them in favor of prun- 

 ing trees at transplanting, with our remarks upon 

 the same. It is remarlcahly strange that a system 

 so at variance with physiology, should be univer- 

 sally believed and practiced. Before we present 

 our views on pruning, we will first consider the phi- 

 losophy of vcgetaljle growth to which wc now call 

 your careful and candid attention. 



To fully discuss this subject we should properly 

 understand the physiology of plants, for tlie func- 

 tions of vegetable life are governed by certain 

 principles as much as animal life. The different 

 parts of a plant have their offices to perforin whieli 

 are essential to ' heir healthy existence. The 

 destruction or derangement of any of tliem de- 

 prives the plant of the ability to perform its duty, 

 as no part can perform the office of another. Every 



seed preserves the principle of life and retains 

 organic matter to nourish the young plant, and 

 wlien placed in congenial soil germinates. Its rad- 

 icle attaches itself to the soil, and the germ seeks 

 the atmosphere; the cotyledons are developed and the 

 elementary plant is established by virtue of inhe- 

 rent life. It is born into a new state and its condi- 

 tions are clianged, the radicle spreads out in various 

 directions to seek nourishment, but it has no power 

 to build up or solidify its frame without the rays of 

 the sun. The plumule extends itself and forms the 

 trunk with its numerous branches and leaves, but 

 it is only built up by virtue of the sun's rays, and 

 the rays of the sun have no power of building up 

 the tree without azote furnished from the soil, and 

 the azote cannot be supplied to the tissues witliout 

 the btuls. Hence within the germ lies the vital 

 force which, when acted upon by the sun calls.into 

 activity the functions of the plant. If these are 

 destroyed the plant immediately ceases to grow, 

 l)ut may however retain vitality long enough to 

 form new germs or buds, but if not it will soon lan- 

 guLsh and die. 



Now as the germ of the seed has its radicle in 

 the soil, so have buds their radicles in the tree ; 

 they being individual eral>ryo plants with all the 

 rudiments of the tree capable of being propogated 

 tlie same as with the seed. Therefore as the germ 

 is the living vital principle of tht; seed, so are the 

 buds the living vitcd pri7iciple of the tree ; neither can 

 grow without them, the one is nourished by the 

 soil, and the other by the tree, and both are stimula- 

 ted into active growth by the .sun, light and air. 

 Azote fonns the rudiments of the plant which can- 

 not be developed without it, and stimulates the buds 

 and leaves to decompose carbonic!' acid, and gives 

 that healthy, green color and vigorous growth to 

 tlie jdant. The sun furnishes heat and light, and 

 the atmosphere carbonic acid, and tlie dark green 

 j)art of the plant {chloro-pliyll) decomposes it, extract- 

 ing the carbon which unites with the water sup- 

 plied by the roots, thus forming numerous and dif- 

 ferent compounds, whose infinite variety trans- 

 cends the dreams of imagination. 



