THE PHILOSOPHY OF PRUNING 47 



what then? Even then we could not afford to discontinue 

 it. The gains in size and quality of fruit, in ease of culti- 

 vation and spraying of the plants, are advantages which 

 progressive horticulture can never forego. Advise a 

 grape-grower to discontinue pruning ! 



47. Summary. — It appears to be safe to conclude, from 

 the foregoing considerations, that pruning is a legitimate 

 practice, finding warrant in wild plants, in physiology 

 and in the experience of centuries. It is not of itself, as 

 ordinarily performed, a devitalizing practice, while its 

 advantages are several and important. There is abundant 

 opportunity for improvement in methods, and every plant 

 needs a particular treatment, and perhaps some species 

 or varieties demand little, if any, thinning; but, as a 

 whole, pruning is indispensable to successful horticulture. 



