THE COMPLETE HOME LANDSCAPE 



TOP PRUNING 



Before removing or cutting any branch of any tree or shrub the 

 object in view should be clearly understood. Fruit trees are pruned, 

 generally speaking, to increase their fruitful- 

 ness; in ornamental shade trees shapeliness is 

 desired; in shrubs the future outHne and 

 flowering quaUties must be borne in mind. It 

 is, therefore, absolutely necessary that the per- 

 son pruning should know the habits of the 



plant, and 



sKootsap- truding 



branches 

 to "shape" the bush, as is often done, 

 with the result that all the flowering 

 wood is either shortened or cut away 

 entirely. 



It is impossible to dig any plant 

 of any size without having it lose some 

 portion of the root system, and gener- 

 ally, it is the feeding rootlets that are 

 lost. Therefore, in order to equalize 

 the consumption of food and the 

 supply (or abihty to secure it) which 

 has been materially reduced by the 

 loss of the roots, the top must be re- 

 duced by pruning the branches. It 

 follows that the condition of the roots, 

 to a great extent, decides how severely 

 the branches must be cut back. It is 

 safe, and indeed, advisable, to prune 

 the top more severely than the roots 

 when planting a newly dug tree. 



As previously stated, a well-balanced,^shapely top or head is de- 

 sired in a shade tree, and the tree must be trained and pruned with 

 that object in view. The main stem or "leader" must, therefore, be 

 quite distinct from all side branches. In the event of there being two 

 leaders, select the better and cut away the other as severely as the 



Fig. 72.— Top pruning or "heading 

 back" to induce bushiness 



