1852.] THE PHILADELPHIA FLORIST^ 



141 



PRUNING— By T. Hutchinson. W) 



(conclusion.) "p 



The seasons for pruning are midsummer and midwinter. At the | 

 former season new aud superfluous shoots and branches should be re- 

 moved,- at the latter period the thinning and arranging of the differ- 

 ent parts of the tree should be attended to. The winter pruning is, 

 however, sometimes finished in the autumn , the gooseberry, for in- 

 stance, is sometimes pruned before winter, and the grape vine when 

 weak. The effect is found to be that the shoots become stronger the 

 ensuing season. This is quite reasonable, as a little reflection will 

 show. During the season of rest in winter, a plant continues to ab- 

 sorb food slowly from the earth by the roots, and if its branches re- 

 main unpruned, the sap at that season introduced into the system will 

 be equally distributed to all parts of the plant. If late pruning is had 

 recourse to^ and part of its branches are removed, of course a large 

 portion of the accumulated matter will be wasted, and the remaining 

 portion of the plant retains no more than its exact proportion as to the 

 entire size of the original tree. No increase, therefore, of growth is 

 taken advantage of — whereas on the contrary, when early or autumn 

 pruning is adopted, the excess of wood is removed before the sap has 

 accumulated in them, and then all that the roots can collect during 

 the winter will be stored up, and a more vigorous plant will be the 

 result at the approach of spring. 



The object of pruning is not invariably to increase the vigor of a 

 plant. The spring may prove the most judicious period, if not defer- 

 ed till the sap is in rapid motion. 



Taking the Fig as the type of that section of trees which produce 

 the fruit on the wood ol the same year, it should, when trained to a 

 trellis, be pruned in Winter, as that is the best season to encourage 

 the young shoots on the lower branches. The Summer pruning of 

 this fruit is performed by pinching in the ends of the young shoots at 

 the third or fourth leaf bud, whereby short jointed wood is produced. 

 This mode lessens considerably the Winter pruning, which should be 

 performed immediately after the leaves have fallen ; always bearing in 

 mind that on the young wood the fruit is produced. The Walnut may 

 be also brought into a bearing state in this way when over luxuriant. 



The above observations 1 now conclude ; and they are as you de- 

 sired, merely practical hints, as I am little else than a practical my- 

 self — and things are so fixed now that foreign practicals must look out 

 for breakers ahead ; Jeffrey's is about. 



To the Editor of the Florist. 

 Feeling somewhat in a critical mood, perhaps I may be indulged in 

 a few friendly remarks in reference to your July number. As to your 

 remarks in the leading article, about being puzzled twenty years ago 

 to fill a small greenhouse with New Holland, Cape, or tropical plants, 

 they show you have not informed yourself on the subject — at any rate 

 as regards N. H. and Cape plants, as all must allow a great, increase 

 of tropical plants of late years ; but at the same time they were not so 

 deficient of these as you might suppose. 



On referring back to old catalogues, I think you will find even 

 /eJmore N. H. and Cape plants in cultivation than at the present day. — Cm 



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