Fic. 208.— Twigs pruned, 
showing the cuts at different dis- 
tances from the bud. A, the cut 
is too far from the bud. JB, the 
cut is so near the bud that the 
bud is probably injured. (, the 
cut is at the proper distance from 
the bud. Why are the cuts made 
obliquely? 
PRUNING 
Wounds and their Healing. — The 
removal of a branch exposes the stem 
tissues, and makes an opening where 
destructive organisms, which may 
injure or even destroy the plant, can 
enter. Unless wounds are quickly 
healed over, the plant will suffer. 
Since tissues that are much spe- 
cialized, such as wood and corky 
bark, have lost their ability to grow, 
the meristematic tissues or cambiums 
must be depended upon to heal the 
wound. If the conditions are favor- 
able for growth, the cambiums and 
the cells newly formed from them 
develop a mass of tissue known as 
the callus, which spreads over the 
wound and forms a cap-like covering. 
The development of the callus depends very much upon the 
nature of the wound’ and 
where it is made. The cut 
should be made with a sharp 
tool, and so made that the 
stem will not be split. When 
a small branch is cut off, the 
cut should be made just above 
a bud, as shown in Figure 203, 
so that the leaves developed 
from this bud will supply food 
for the formation of the callus. 
If the wound is too far above 
a bud, or if the cut is so close 
that the bud is destroyed, 
then there will be a dead 
stump which will not heal. 
Side branches should be 
pruned close to the main 
branch, so that the cambium 
of the main branch can heal 
Fig. 204. — An example of bad prun- 
ing, showing the dead stubs of branches 
which may lead to the destruction of 
the tree. After Bailey. 
the wound. In Figure 204 is shown an example of improper 
