THE PHILADELPHIA FLORIST. [May 



^when those which have flowered may be cut away in the same man-^© 

 ner as the former were. No manure is too strong for the Hose — the ~ 

 richer the ground, the finer the flower. 



The. Grape Vine, like the Hose, is a necessary accompaniment to 

 every garden ; generally these are pruned by practical gardeners, and 

 are all "fixed" by this time. Where they have not been, they should 

 be at once attended to. There are two objects to be attained here, 

 namely: the covering of the trellis with healthy shoots; and secondly, 

 that of anticipating a good proportionate crop. As a general rule, the 

 weaker the last year's shoot, the closer it may be pruned ; a weak one 

 for instance, may be pruned to one eye, and a strong shoot to three- 

 quarters its length. If the shoots are very abundant, thin out some 

 of them. It is very late, however, to prune grape vines ; they will 

 probably bleed — and many gardeners do not like this ; but it will not 

 hurt them. Thomas Meehan, 



Strict attention will be given lo the important department our 

 friend speaks of, under the head of u Window and Yard Gardening." 



[Ed. Florist. 



The Theory and Practice of Pruning, 



By Thos. Hutchinson, of Phila. 



A knowledge of the principles and practice of pruning is one of 

 the many necessary qualifications to a gardener. We often see trees 

 pruned in such a manner that, to say nothing of their beauty being 

 destroyed, what is of more importance the chance of a crop of fruit, 

 is cast aside. While not unfrequently again we observe trees killed 

 outright, or forced into an excessive growth that endangers the crop of 

 several successive years. Perhaps the pruning of fruit trees is of all 

 others, the most important. And to this part of the subject I shall 

 then endeavor to (as well as I am able,) give a theoretical and prac- 

 tical explanation of the questions. Why do we prune 1 When 

 should we prune 1 To prune then is either to increase the strength 

 of the shoots or diminish it, or to reduce the shoots in number. To 

 prune in order to produce wood shoots, or to prune to produce fruit 

 buds. When a portion of a healthy plant is cast off, all that sap 

 which would have been expended in supporting the part removed is 

 directed by the vital force info the parts remaining, and especially 

 those parts in the immediate vicinity of that part from which it has 

 been removed. Thus — if the leading bud of a growing branch be 

 stopped, the lateral ones, which otherwise would have remained dor- 

 mant are forced to push, as gardeners term it. If a growing branch 



i> 



is shortened, the lowest eyes which seldom push are brought intoG) 



