PEUNING AND TKA.INING. 



125 



shaded by others, are the only ones to develop, and, con- 

 sequently, it shoots upward rapidly, while the stem is not 

 proportionally developed, and few side branches are thrown 

 out. Such a tree must not only be cut back severely at 

 the winter pruning so as to shorten the leader to perhaps 

 one-third of its growth, but it needs looking to in summer, 

 or it will push upward as strongly as before. To 

 strengthen its side branches, then, it is necessary to pinch 

 in early, while they are in active growth, the leader or 

 any other shoot that is evidently receiving an undue 

 amount of sap, which operation checks the now of sap to 

 that point, and directs it to where it is more needed. 

 When a side shoot shows a disposition to outgrow the 

 leader, the defect is remedied by pinching, with no loss 

 of wood or growth to the tree. Pyramidal forms can only 

 be secured in this way by summer pinching, keeping the 

 lower limbs always the longest. In the same way early 

 bearing is promoted, for the check given to the growing 

 point concentrates the sap, and, unless the shoots again 

 start into growth, it is likely to form fruit buds. Bushy 

 specimen plants in the green-house and flower-garden are 

 not to be seen in plants left to themselves. The stems 

 are soon naked, and, if cut back, they soon grow up as 

 bad as before. If the leading and other dominant shoots 

 are pinched back, leaving the side shoots unchecked until 

 ripe, when they may be cut back a little to make them 

 branch, they will be as healthy and full of bloom as those 

 at the upper part of the plant. Pinching should be per- 

 formed at once as soon as a shoot shows itself out of pro- 

 portion. Further directions as to the summer manage- 

 ment of particular trees and plants will be given hereafter. 



Implements! — The implements required in pruning are 

 the common pruning knife, a small saw with very fine 

 teeth, a socket chisel two or three inches wide, with a 

 long handle, and a pair each of large pruning shears, 

 pruning scissors, and pole pruning shears ; these should 



