THE PHILADELPHIA FLORIST. 91 



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On the Bleeding of Trees from Pruning fy 



Mr. Editor — I hoped I had done with you for a time, I have no 

 idea of setting myself up for a "teacher amongst my brethren." I 

 have had to learn much since my advent in this land ; I have had 

 much to unlearn, and I am not ashamed to avow that I expect to learn 

 much more, notwithstanding that a friend has thought fit, in another 

 quarter, to give me a poke on the novelty of my knowledge, when 

 compared with his own. I am more happy in reading the experience 

 and ideas of others than in publishing my own. When I give you 

 any ideas of my own, I look upon that act as one of justice in ex- 

 change for what I get from others through the same source. When I 

 wrote you my congratulatory paper on the appearance of the Florist, 

 1 incidentally stated that bleeding did not injure a grape vine. How 

 cold must have run the blood of my censorious friend when his won- 

 dering eyes first caught sight of the presumptuous sentence! How his 

 nerves must have shuddered with galvanic twitches, when his keen 

 understanding really began to comprehend the mysterious import of 

 the audacious words ! Rank, awful heresy — burn, yes, away with the 

 atheist ! 



But, to come more to the point, I scarcely believe that I shall be 

 doing myself credit in noticing such an attack from one who could 

 fasten on you for observing that the first greenhouses in the Union 

 were erected in Philadelphia, because some were in existence "in 

 Pearl street seventy years ago," in spite of a fact mentioned in a work 

 which ought certainly to be read at least by an Editor — why, the ve- 

 ry owner of those houses was probably dead before the seventy years 

 alluded to. However, as there may be some others who still hold to 

 the orthodox, view, 1 will point out why 1 stated that the grape vine 

 is not injured by bleeding. To be honest, I will state that the idea 

 is not my own ; I first read it some years ago in an agricultural jour- 

 nal. Like all new ideas I meet with, "I laid it by" till circumstances 

 should enable me to test it myself. 



Sir, "once upon a time" I set two men to "prune up" a stock of 

 silver maples. The leaves had but lately fallen. After pruning for 

 a time, I was informed that thy trees bled a little; I thought fit to have 

 the operation stopped. In the middle of winter, when 1 thought the 

 wood would certainly be ripe, 1 had a considerable more pruned — ■ 

 these bled much; I mentioned the fact to an older and wiser head than 

 mine. His reply was "Oh, it won't hurt them any, they bleed any 

 time." Through pressure uf work, some of these maples were left 

 unpruned till the leaves were nearly bursting; then they did bleed — 

 here was a glorious opportunity to observe the effects of bleeding. I 



9? watched them frequently after, but I never saw the slightest difference c? 



Rj in their appearance or health; I pursued the subject further. On tak- ^J 



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