30 CULTURE. 



part of the tree, renders the minute systems of pruning and 

 training, ^vhich occupy so large a portion of the English works 

 on this subject, of little or no moment to the cultivator here. 

 Pruning is, therefore, commonly resorted to only for the purpose 

 of increasing the vigour of feeble trees, or to regulate and im- 

 prove the form of healthy and luxuriant trees. 



Pruning has the power of increasing the vigour of a tree in 

 two ways. If we assume that a certain amount of nourishment 

 is supplied by the roots to all the branches and buds of a tree, 

 by cutting off one half of the branches, at the proper season, we 

 direct the whole supply of nourishment to the remaining portion, 

 which will, consequently, grow with nearly double their former 

 luxuriance. Again, when a tree becomes stunted or enfeebled in 

 its growth, the thinness of its inner bark, with its consequent small 

 sap-vessels, (which it must be remembered are the principal chan- 

 nel for the passage of the ascending supply of food) renders the 

 upward and downward circulation tardy, and the growth is 

 small. By heading back or pruning judiciously, all the force 

 of the nourishing fluid is thrown into a smaller number of buds, 

 which make new and luxuriant shoots, larger sap-vessels, and 

 which afford a ready passage to the fluids, and the tree with 

 these renewed energies will continue in vigour for a long time. 



This treatment is especially valuable in the case of small 

 trees of feeble or stunted growth, which are frequently cut back 

 to a single bud, and a new shoot or shoots, full of vigour, gives a 

 healthy habit to the tree. In the nurseries, this practice of 

 heading down unthrifty trees is frequently pursued, and small 

 orchard trees which have become enfeebled may be treated in 

 the same manner ; cutting back the head as far as the place 

 where it is wished that new shoots should spring out. Older 

 trees should be headed back more sparingly, unless they are 

 greatly enfeebled ; and their roots should at the same time be 

 assisted by manure. 



A judicious pruning to modify the form of our standard trees 

 is nearly all that is required in ordinary practice. Every fruit 

 tree, grown in the open orchard or garden as a common standard j 

 should he allowed to take its natural form^ the whole efforts of 

 the pruner going no further than to take out all weak and 

 crowded branches; those which are filling uselessly the in- 

 tcriour of the tree, where their leaves cannot be duly exposed to 

 the light and sun, or those which interfere with the growth 

 of others. All pruning of large branches in healthy trees 

 should be avoided by examining them every season and taking 

 out superfluous shoots while small. Mr. Coxe, the best American 

 author on fruit trees, remarks very truly " when orchard trees 

 are mucli |)runed, they are apt to throw out numerous (super- 

 fluous) suckers from the boughs in the following summer ; these 

 should be rubbed off when they first appear, or they may easily 



