406 HARDY FRUIT GARDEN. 



removed, exceed in diameter 2 inches, it is better 

 to commence at their extremities, and shorten 

 them back yearly. By thus cutting off their 

 supplies, by reducing the number of leaves, the 

 base of the branch will not increase much in 

 size, but as it is yearly lessened more and more 

 of its nourishment, it will become sickly, and 

 ultimately die away altogether ; and as this pro- 

 cess goes on simultaneously with the increasing 

 growth of the trunk, the core or dead fragment 

 left in the trunk will be very small, and in most 

 cases not traceable in the wood when the tree is 

 felled. Besides, this foreshortening of the lower 

 branches will cause the sap which was destined 

 to support them to take another direction, and 

 as none is so natural to it as to ascend through 

 the trunk, it will take that course ; for it is an 

 invariable law in the vegetable economy, that 

 when a branch of a healthy plant is cut off, all 

 that sap which would have been expended in 

 supporting the part removed is directed into the 

 parts which remain. However much pruning 

 may be insisted upon, with the view of increas- 

 ing bulk of timber, an even more important 

 matter is allowing the trees plenty of room, so 

 that they may both have a sufficient supply of 

 food by the roots, and also an opportunity of 

 properly elaborating the same in the leaves, by 

 a full exposure to light and air. 



Pruning Conifers. — As regards the season of 

 pruning coniferous and ornamental hardy trees, 

 be they evergreen or deciduous, winter has in 

 general been the time chosen. This is, however, 

 a mistake — the latter end of spring and through- 

 out the whole summer being the most proper 

 time, because at that season the wounds made 

 speedily heal up, on account of the trees being 

 in the full vigour of growth. The considerations 

 of leisure time and antiquated habits should be 

 disregarded. Coniferous plants were, until with- 

 in these few years, almost exempted from the 

 pruning-knife ; indeed, so far was this prejudice 

 carried, that it was held little short of murder 

 to remove a branch from them. One noble 

 example we have, however, who foresaw (now 

 rather more than a century ago) the propriety 

 of pruning this section of trees. The third Earl 

 of Haddington, who planted Tyningham, the 

 greatest planter of his day, and author of a work 

 on arboriculture, thus says : " I was once a great 

 enemy to the pruning of firs, because what came 

 from Norway never had met with that treat- 

 ment ; but now I think, when the side branches 

 are taken away when they are young, there can 

 be no harm in it, for the bark will soon grow 

 over the wound, and so no knot can be within 

 that part, for the fir never puts out side branches 

 after they have been once cut off. What I pur- 

 pose is, that after it has been planted for three 

 years to begin and cut away two tiers of branches, 

 and every year afterwards cutting away one." 

 As the great object is altitude in the pine tribe, 

 the removal of the lower tiers of branches has a 

 positive tendency to effect this, although it would 

 be hazardous to amputate branches of a large 

 size. Coniferous pruning should be performed 

 only during summer ; and when the trees assume 

 flat spreading heads (we do not mean those 

 whose natural habit is to be so, but such as the 



larch, silver fir, &c.),the extreme points of two or 

 three tiers of branches even above that which is 

 to be removed may with great advantage be 

 foreshortened. This should, however, be done 

 so as not to disfigure the tree, or show the points 

 of the amputated shoots. That most elegant 

 and likely to be most valuable of all our recently 

 introduced conifers, the Cedrus deodar, is a case 

 in point. It naturally, while young, sends out 

 branches in a horizontal and afterwards a droop- 

 ing manner, and these extend themselves to a 

 great distance, often reclining on the ground by 

 reason of their own weight : this disposition is 

 the cause why the leading shoot of this tree 

 seems so weak, and so seldom takes a perpendi- 

 cular direction. Prune the lower branches as 

 stated above, and this apparent debility in the 

 leader will disappear, and it will assume its pro- 

 per habit, and shoot with great vigour in a per- 

 pendicular direction. All the young plants of 

 this species, while yet in the nursery, should 

 have their lower branches taken off, and those 

 above, to the extent of two tiers, foreshortened 

 also. The Abies canadensis and Cedrus libani 

 are familiar instances of sad mismanagement in 

 this respect. The former is oftener found as- 

 suming the character of a fiat or bushy shrub 

 than that of a tall tree; and the latter very 

 often a scrubby meagre-looking tree, branching 

 out within a few feet of the ground, and ramify- 

 ing into innumerable branches, either vertical 

 or horizontal. Now, we consider (apart from 

 the erroneous practice of keeping such plants 

 in pots till they are finally planted out) that 

 want of judicious early pruning is the cause why 

 the former seldom attains the character of a 

 tree, and the latter becomes a caricature of its 

 natural habit. No doubt, in the case of both 

 there are seminal varieties occasionally occur- 

 ring, which may in some few instances account 

 for such forms ; but, in general, it is a thorough 

 neglect of pruning in youth which is the prin- 

 cipal cause. 



Coniferous plants will bear pruning with as 

 much impunity, and with as great advantage, 

 as other trees or plants, if the operation is per- 

 formed at the proper season and at a proper 

 age. None, however, suffer more from an op- 

 posite course. 



Pruning ornamental trees. — These require the 

 least care on the part of the cultivator in this 

 respect of all other trees, as there is no induce- 

 ment to alter their natural forms, or to reduce 

 their bulk, the fullest development of their 

 natural character being the object for which 

 they are grown. 



Pruning ornamental shrubs. — Here as much 

 science is required as in the pruning of fruit 

 trees. The chief object to be kept in view is 

 the reduction of all redundant wood, and an 

 encouragement of those parts from which the 

 flowers are to come. Some require to be spurred 

 in, like the vine ; some will admit of little cur- 

 tailment of the young wood further than judi- 

 cious thinning, as many of them flower on the 

 terminal points; while others, like the rose, 

 flower on the young wood, which, with a view 

 to throw greater strength into it, requires to be 

 left moderately thin, so that the energies of the 



