30 
CULTURE. 
part of tlie tree, renders the minute systems of pruning and 
training, which occupy so large a portion of the English works 
on this subject, of little or no moment to the cultivator here. 
Pruning is, therefore, commonly resorted to only for the purpose 
of increasing the vigour of feeble trees, or to regulate and im- 
prove the form of healthy and luxuriant trees. 
Pruning has the power of increasing the vigour of a tree in 
two ways. If we assume that a certain amount of nourishment 
is supplied by the roots to all the branches and buds of a tree, 
by cutting off one half of the branches, at the proper season, we 
direct the whole supply of nourishment to the remaining portion, 
which will, consequently, grow with nearly double their former 
luxuriance. Again, when a tree becomes stunted or enfeebled in 
its growth, the thinness of its inner bark, with its consequent small 
sap- vessels, (which it must be remembered are the principal chan- 
nel for the passage of the ascending supply of food) renders the 
upward and downward circulation tardy, and the growth is 
small. By heading back or pruning judiciously, all the force 
of the nourishing fluid is thrown into a smaller number of buds, 
which make new and luxuriant shoots, larger sap-vessels, and 
which afford a ready passage to the fluids, and the tree with 
these renewed energies will continue in vigour for a long time. 
This treatment is especially valuable in the case of small 
trees of feeble or stunted growth, which are frequently cut back 
to a single bud, and a new shoot or shoots, full of vigour, gives a 
healthy habit to the tree. In the nurseries, this practice of 
heading down unthrifty trees is frequently pursued, and small 
orchard trees which have become enfeebled may be treated in 
the same manner ; cutting back the head as far as the place 
where it is wished that new shoots should spring out. Older 
trees should be headed back more sparingly, unless they are 
greatly enfeebled ; and their roots should at the same time be 
assisted by manure. 
A judicious pruning to modify the form of our standard trees 
is nearly all that is required in ordinary practice. Every fruit 
tree , grown in the open orchard or garden as a common standard , 
should he allowed to take its natural form , the whole efforts of 
the pruner going no further than to take out all weak and 
crowded branches; those which are filling uselessly the in- 
teriour of the tree, where their leaves cannot be duly exposed to 
the light and sun, or those which interfere with the growth 
of others. All pruning of large branches in healthy trees 
should be avoided by examining them every season and taking 
out superfluous shoots while small. Mr. Coxe, the best American 
author on fruit trees, remarks very truly “ when orchard trees 
are much pruned, they are apt to throw out numerous (super- 
fluous) suckers from the boughs in the following summer ; these 
should be rubbed off when they first appear, or they may easily 
