304 



SOILS AND PLANT LIFE 



229. Precautions to be taken in Pruning. — Care must 

 be exercised not to remove the fruit spurs, which we should 

 be able by this time to recognize, nor to remove so much 

 wood in a single season that the roots and top of the tree 

 will be thrown out of " balance." 



We should bear in mind that pruning for vigor; i.e., 



for wood gro\vth, is 

 usually done while the 

 plants are dormant, — 

 usually in the late win- 

 ter ; but pruning as a 

 means of checking the 

 growth of the tree is 

 done during the grow- 

 ing season. Pruning 

 for wood growth is usu- 

 ally a severer opera- 

 tion than that which 

 is intended to check 

 the growth and induce 

 the formation of fruit 

 buds. Indeed, the 

 latter may consist 

 only of pinching the 

 terminal buds from 

 the branches. This 

 summer pruning of 

 trees and vines must 

 be done with caution, for a plant which is already 

 somewhat weakened may be injured by pruning at this 

 time. The most important end to be gained in pruning 

 is the filling of the tree with reserve food, and this is ac- 

 complished by pruning for wood growi:h. 



In pruning off either large limbs or small ones, the cuts 



Courtesy Iowa State College. 

 Fig. 138. — Improper pruning. 



