84 



PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OF PRUNING 



very cold and dry, as in the plains region of Nebraska and 

 adjacent states, wounds made at that season may allow so 

 much water to evaporate from the cut surfaces that the 

 trees may suffer more or less seriously from winterkilling. 

 In such regions it is advisable to avoid breaking the bark 

 between mid-autumn and early spring. Damage may be 

 wrought in hot and dry regions, as in Arkansas, Oklahoma, 



FIG. 61— THE TREE BUTCHER'S 

 METHOD 



"Pruning" with an axe is a 

 common tree crime in the neg- 

 lected home orchard. Such wounds 

 never heal over, but always shorten 

 the life of the tree because decay 

 will work its way into the heart 

 wood of the trunk. Figs. 84 and 203 

 show advanced stages of this work. 



FIG. 62 



UPRIGHT LIMB REPLACES 

 HORIZONTAL ONE 



How this tree trunk became bent 

 to horizontal is not known. The 

 trunk after bending extended hori- 

 zontally to the right, but as the 

 vertical water sprout developed it 

 robbed the prostrate trunk of food. 

 The trunk shortly died, broke off 

 and the stub slowly healed over. 



Arizona and bordering states, by sun scalding, which often 

 follows severe pruning, but such pruning generally indicates 

 that the trees have been neglected perhaps during several 

 to many years. Doubtless in such regions less pruning is 

 necessary than in more humid regions. 



While New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio and other eastern 

 states with long extent north and south present considerable 

 differences in pruning practice, a more striking instance is 



