NOTES ON THE PBUNE. 
369 
again the individual judgment must be exercised, and conditions of soil, 
climate, iVc., must be considered. 
Two schools in regard to pruning have sprung up, each advocating a 
system diametrically opposed to the other, and each backing its opinion 
with plausible arguments : the one favouring high pruning (standard 
trees), the other low (dwarfs) ; one heavy pruning, and the other light. It 
is argued in favour of the high- cut or standard tree that it is much 
easier to cultivate when a horse can be driven under the limbs than when 
it is necessary to work under them with a hoe, as when they are trained 
low. In reply to the objection that high-pruned trees in hot climates are 
liable to sun-burn, the advocates of high pruning say that if planted 
close enough together they afford sufficient shade for each other. An 
orchardist ought therefore to decide in which way he intends to prune 
before planting. 
In favour of low pruning (i.e. dwarf trees) it is urged that the limbs, 
bending beneath their weight of fruit, will find support on the ground, 
that the trunks are protected from the sun, and that the fruit is easier to 
gather. 
Low training (bush or dwarf trees) and little pruning after the fourth 
year have grown in favour of late, and are the systems which have the 
largest support among Prune growers. The work of pruning should 
be commenced as soon as the sap stops flowing, which will depend 
upon the season, but as soon as the green leaves are gone, and no danger 
is to be apprehended from "bleeding," pruning may be advantageously 
begun. 
Pests and their Remedies. 
Phmi Aphis {Aphis priinifolia). — These plant lice appear on the 
under side of the young leaves in spring, and increase very rapidly, so as 
to cover the new growth in a few weeks. During the last few years this 
pest has been on the increase. Plant lice, as a general rule, are hard to 
destroy, owing to their oily excrement. So far whale-oil soap has proved 
the best remedy. If a tree is badly infested, the lice produce such 
quantities of honey-dew as to make the leaves and fruit very sticky to 
handle. 
Peach Moth (Anarsia lincatella). — This insect attacks the young 
shoots of the trees, bores into the pith, and causes the shoot to wither. 
The lime, salt, and sulphur remedy applied in winter checks it to a great 
extent. 
Tree Cricket {Oceanthus latipennis). — The limbs of the Prune are 
bored into by this insect, and its eggs are found in the pith. When 
these crickets are numerous the young limbs become seriously damaged. 
The best remedy is to cut off all infested limbs and burn them. 
Black Scale {Lecanium olea), Apricot Scale (Lecanium armeniacum) , 
Frosted Scale (Lecanium pruniosimi), and Pernicious Scale (Asphidiotus 
perniciosus). — These scale insects are the greatest trouble of Prune trees. 
Orchards badly infested cannot produce good crops, as the quantity of 
scale prevents the fruit from growing large and marketable. 
The different scale remedies mentioned there* have been well tested 
* See "Insects and Fungi in the United States," Journal of the Royal Horticul- 
tural Society, vol. xxi. page 191, by Sidney C. Lamb. 
