314 The Principles of Fruit-growing. 
killing must always be one of the gravest risks 
which the fruit-grower assumes when he undertakes 
the business. 
Winter-injury to the trees or plants themselves 
usually appears in the form of splits or long checks 
in the trunks, or in the outright death of the ends 
of the branches, or even of the entire plant. For 
the splits lengthwise the trunk, the proper treatment 
is to pare off the dead and loosened bark to the 
“quick” just as soon as the bark begins to spread, 
and to cover the surface of the wound (and the 
cleft) with Bordeaux mixture or paint.* 
The proper treatment for frozen-back trees must 
be determined for cach particular case; but it should 
be borne in mind that the injured portion is no 
longer of any use to the plant, whilst it may be a 
positive detriment by accelerating the evaporation of 
moisture. The best treatment for plants seriously 
injured upon the extremities is to cut them back 
very heavily. This severe heading-in—sometimes to 
the extent of three or four feet—removes the driest 
and weakest portions, and concentrates the energy 
of the tree into a comparatively small area of top. 
Heavy pruning always tends towards the production 
of wood, and this wood production is probably never 
more needed than in winter-injured trees, for it tends 
to renew the vitality of the tree. The philosophy 
of this becomes apparent upon a moment’s reflec- 
tion. The browned and injured wood can never re- 
*The general subject of treating and repairing injured trees is fully dis- 
cussed, with ilustrations, in “The Pruning-Book,” 
