144 



distribute the weight over the branches that the weak ones are 

 relieved of. too heavy a strain. 



In particularly dangerous cases it becomes necessary to bind the 

 bifurcated branches together so as to prevent them splitting. The 

 accompanying illustrations show both the right and the wrong way of 

 doing this. Ropes are temporary ties at the most; besides, they stretch 

 easily, and finally rot and snap. A piece of fencing wire, doubled 

 round the limbs and twisted until the requisite strain is obtained, 

 s often used in orchards, but this method presents the serious 

 inconvenience of cutting through the bark and interfering with the 

 circulation, the growing wood overlapping from above and 



presenting an unsightly 

 swelling. Whenever a 

 contrivance of this sort 

 is used, pieces of lath or 

 some bagging or leather 

 pad should be placed be- 

 tween the limb and the 

 wire to shield the bark. 

 When the forked limbs 

 are actually split, the torn 

 and jagged wound should 

 be smoothly pared with 

 the knife and the two 

 pieces brought together. 



Above the iron band 

 in the illustration a more 

 suitable contrivance is 

 shown for mending split 

 limbs. It consists of 

 a straight iron bolt, run 

 through auger holes 

 bored in the limbs ; the 

 bolt is supplied with a 

 large head and a large 

 nut, which is screwed up 

 porting weak limbs, to the proper point. The 

 hole should not be much 

 larger than the bolt, so as to exclude the wet or the air ; for that 

 purpose it is advisable to apply a little tar or wax where it enters 

 and leaves the bark. Such a bolt will not damage the limb or 

 interfere with its expansion. 



The right and the wrong way of suj 

 (Garden and Fiel 



FRUITFTTLNESS OF SPURS AND WOOD. 



Easy circulation of sa,p results in formation of new leaves|and 

 formation of woody tissue and fruit spurs. Pruning by cutting off 

 hardened, gnarled, moss-infested twigs and branches forces the sap 

 into fresh channels and new fruiting wood is produced. The 

 desiccation of fruHing wood and its barrenness varies with climate 



