146 



PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OF PRUNING 



to fit into every chink and thus exclude air and water. 

 In a few years the cions will grow together and in time 

 lose tlicir identity in a smooth trunk. 



Bridge grafting is a makeshift method not to be com- 

 pared with proper protection of trunks by keeping ani- 

 mals out of the orchard, by avoiding accumulation of 

 grass, straw, etc., in which mice might form nests, and 

 li}' using trunk protectors — splints, tarred or building 



paper, but preferably half- 

 inch galvanized hardware 

 cloth — around the trunks 

 until the trees have de- 

 veloped rough bark. Such 

 methods will prevent the 

 necessity of bridge grafting 

 except in cases of unusual 

 accident. 



When the girdles are 

 narrow — say only one to 

 three inches — no bridging 

 may be necessary. In such 

 cases, however, it is well to 

 err on the safe side by 

 covering the wound with 

 grafting clay (half clay and 

 fresh cow manure) and 

 Ijandaging this in with cotton cloth, or by using grafting 

 wax. ( )ften such wounds will heal over in a single season, 

 129. Pruning tools of many styles are upon the market, 

 but many of them are of small utility and some worse 

 than useless, positi\'ely harmful. Of course the tool 

 equipment will \'ary with the man and with the type of 

 work to be done. In general, however, the kit will con- 

 sist of a knife, a pair of hand shears and two or three 

 different types and sizes of saws. If there is to be much head- 

 ing back of side branches out of hand reach a pole pruner 

 (Figs. lOG to 108) may be added, and for removing dead 



FIG 



105— WELL-BRANCHED 

 HEADED PEACH 



low- 



No danger of splitting; 

 heavy load 



from even 



