378 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
[Dec. 2, 1901. 
Of the meth6ds of pruning, there are two practised 
in the orchard, viz.; winter pruning and summer 
praning. In the course of these notes, che first 
method alone will be considered, 
Several objects are aimed at when pruning, it 
helps to control the gro vth of the plant »nd train 
it in such a way that the operations of cultivatiTn, 
of treating and dressing the tree^ and vinos when- 
ever required, and of gathering the fruit, are m^de 
easier and more economical. lo equalises the wood 
and fiuit CApaoity of the tree, checking the ous 
to favour the other if need be, suppressing rank 
growth of the boughs or limiting tlie productive- 
ness of the plant in such a way that the qu^^lity 
ia not affected by the excessive quantity of tha 
fruit crop. 
It checks the growth of suckers, water sprouts, 
and unsightly knobs and enlargements along the 
stem and branches ; it tends to ksep the plant iu 
a thriving and healthy coudition, promoting the 
growth of luxuriant foliage which tend to shelter 
he frait and limbs from sunburn. 
Pkuning Outfit. 
The tools required for pruning are few, but it is 
essential that they should be of the best qu;i,lity 
and of a type suitible for the work to be done. 
It ia also essential that they should be kept in good 
order, stiarp and smooth, as a jagged or a bluut 
blade will inflict upon the wood bruises and injur! sa 
which will either cause the sap to sour and the 
limb to die back or will delay the healing of the 
wound and thus leave a door open to the entrance 
of the fungi of canker and other moulds productive 
of rot and decay. 
Secateurs, or pruning shears, are easier to handle 
than the pruning knife. They do the work quickly, 
neatly and without giving a jerk to the branches 
of fruit trees and vinss as does the pruning knife. 
The first illustration represents Rieslter'a Secateur, 
which can be procured in Perth. It is sold with a 
duplioata blade made of well-tempered steel, the tool 
is made of chilled steel, the tool is 9 inches long, 
strongly made and well finished. 
The second illustration shows two types of secateurs 
and a handy pruning saw. The longer pruning shears, 
15 to 17 inches long, is a two-handled one and a 
very powerful tool, suitable for pruuing strong vines 
and hard and knotty wood. One of its handles is 
chisel-shaped and is found very convenient for 
suckering vines or trees, an operation which, when 
made with the blade, jags its edge and makes it blunt. 
The edge of the blade of the secateur should be 
kept sharp by the use, whenever required, of a small 
hone or an oil stone, while the file will keep the teeth 
of the pruning saw well set. 
When using the secateurs a clean and neat cut is 
given by seeing that the blade, and not the proug, 
faces the part of the wood which is left on the plant. 
As strong branches as can well be inserted between 
the blade and the prong can with little eflort be 
snipped by gently pushing the top part of the branch 
or rod it is intenued to cut away from the operator 
and against the prong side of the secateur, 
The pruning knife, if kept sharp, will, in the 
hands of an experienced pruner, do 'very good work, 
and makes a very clean cutj which soon heals over. 
Ttie blades should be strongly made, of the best 
Bteel, and with a beak curved at a sharp angle. A 
rough buckhorn handle will ensure a good grasp in 
the hand while in use ; the blade, well-ground, will 
be found useful for trimming and pariug the wound 
and giving it a smooth face after sawing. 
To the other tools and p^ppliances described, tho 
following two will be found of great use when high 
trees have to be pruned and handled : — 
This long pruiiing shear, mounted on a light pole 
about the size of a broom-stick, .six to eight ;feet 
long, is a very handy device for reaching to the tops 
of the higher trees. It is found at .the leading 
ironmongers, 
An orchard ladder, properly constructed, is a very 
handy appliance when pruning trees and gathering 
fruit. " 
Orchard ladders of several designs are made. Some 
consist of a pole of a fibrous kind of timber, 6uch 
as stringy-bark, bjuod with a strong baud of hoop- 
iron a foot or so from the top end ; this will prevent 
the pole, which is sawn to thac point, splitting 
when the two lower ends are stretched and the ruuga 
fastened. 
Hinged, four-footed step-ladders, like the one here 
illustrated, are, as a rule, clumsy appliances, which 
are inconvenient on hillside or uneven ground be- 
sides being heavy and easily dislocated. Those 
found ready-made for sale iu shops are often so 
linhty madi as to be of little use in the orchard. 
Varnish or wax piper is fouad useful for prevent- 
ing wounds, caused by the removal of a large limb 
cracking and decaying owing to exposure; it also 
promotes a more speedy healing. For that purpose 
gum shellac is often used. It is made hj? dissolving 
in a little strong alcohol as much gum shellac as 
will make the varnish of the consistency of paint 
This varnish is kept in a well-corked flask, with a 
mouth wide enough to admit a brusb, and is thus 
always ready for use. It is applied over the cut 
surface, well pared with the knife. Other good 
coverings for wonnds made in pruning are also com- 
mon white lead paint, grafting wax, co;d tar, in the 
order named. The last-named is often a hindrance 
while pine tar is even somewhat detrimental to 
healing. 
Cdttikg to a Bud. 
It is important before cutting off a branch of a 
tree or a rod of a vine to make sure that the last 
bud left on the plant, and which is intended to 
prolong the growth of the plant, is a sound, plump 
one, likely to grow, or whether it h^s accidently 
been rubbed oil or otherwise destroyed. Such a 
tei-minal bud should be s leaf bud, and not a fruit 
bud. 
Leaf buds differ from fruit buds in being more 
elongated, flattened, and more pointed in the same 
species of pl.nts; they are either single, or give 
growth to single shoots, or double and even triple 
when grouped in small clusters, two or three 
together, as in the case of stone fruits, they pro- 
duce either leaves or branches. 
Fruit buds are distinguished from leaf buds by 
their rounder and fuller form, the scales that cover 
them are broader, »nd they begin to swell and burst 
open earlier in the Spring. 
Fruit buds are also single, as in the case of apples 
pears, quinces or single, double and triple, as in 
stone fruits and berries. They are, besides, simple 
or compound; that is to say they produce but one 
flower, as in the peach, nectarine, almond, and 
apricot, or two or more flowers, in clusters as in 
apples, pears, plums and cherries. 
All buds are leaf buds when first formed ; some 
at a later stage develop, either by being allowed to 
mature naturally or by artificial me-ins, into fruit 
buds. Many trees develop their fruit buds towards 
their terminal shoots, unless these are cut oS, when 
those left at the base of the branch, or along it, 
are thus excited into growth, and transformed into' 
lateral fruit buds. 
When cutting to a bud a slight slant is generally 
given to the cut, at a place close to the bud al- 
though in so doing it is advisable not to approach 
the bud too closely, nor on the other hand leave 
above it a useless stump, which might engender 
decay ; a piece of wood about an eighth of an inch 
above the bud is sufficient to leave. In the case of 
the grape vine the practice is often to cut though 
the joint, a,bove the last bud it is intended to 
leave on the spur, as shown at C2. A lougitudina 
section of the young wood of a vine shos's in each 
joint a tubular cavity filled with pith ; at each joint 
or node that tube is closed, as in the ease of the 
