JULY. 
139 
regulate what is produced by them. If, for instance, the stem and branches of 
a plant contain one or two hundred buds, by removing half of these the shoots 
or fruits produced by the remainder will be supplied with double the former 
amount of nourishment; and if all the buds be removed but one, the whole of 
the sap sent up by the roots will be modified by that single bud, provided care 
be taken to remove other buds as they appear. On the other hand, when the 
whole of the buds of a tree are so abundantly supplied with sap from the roots 
as to produce chiefly leaves or shoots without blossoms, then by cutting off a 
portion of the roots the supply of sap is lessened, a moderate degree of vigour 
is produced, and instead of barren shoots blossom-buds appear. By these 
means the growth of plants is controlled by pruning. Pruning has the power 
of increasing the vigour of plants in two ways. If we assume, as already 
stated, that a certain amount of nourishment is supplied b} T the roots to all the 
branches and buds of a tree, by removing one-half the shoots 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 in its growth, the thinness of its inner bark, with its consequent small 
sap-vessels, renders the upward and downward circulation slow, and the growth 
is small. By heading-back or pruning judiciously, all the force of the nourish¬ 
ing fluid is thrown into a smaller number of buds, which make new and 
luxuriant shoots, with 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, give a healthy habit to the tree. In the 
nurseries this practice of heading-down is constantly pursued to increase the 
vigour of the young plants. And the forester, too, cuts back his Oak plants in 
the forest, after being a few years planted, and trains a single shoot from the 
bottom, knowing well that the vigour of this one shoot will be lasting, that the 
impetus given to the tree will continue, and that in a few years the cut-over 
trees will be many times larger than those allowed to stand over uncut. 
If we look throughout the length and breadth of the land we will find in 
general, that as regards pruning on correct principles our orchards are as 
badly managed as our woods and plantations. This is a state of things not at 
all creditable to us in our present advanced stage of knowledge. In general 
orchard trees receive little or no pruning save the removal, in winter, of some 
injured and crowded branches by a saw or handbill; and as a consequence we 
find that when there is a crop of fruit, it is so closely and numerously packed 
on every part of the tree that it rarely gets to half its proper size, and its 
quality is much inferior. It is then of little or no value, and scarcely repays 
the labour of gathering; such was the case last season. Now, if a proper 
system of pruning were followed, we could insure regular crops every year of 
superior fruit and of fine quality, which would amply repay the labour of 
cultivating. The application of pruning to fruit trees differs much according to 
the species of trees. Trees that produce fruit on wood of two or more years’ 
growth require to be pruned in a different manner from the Peach, which 
produces its fruit on wood of the preceding year. All pruning of the shoots 
should be done during the early part of summer; nothing should be left 
on till winter. 
Disbudding should commence as soon as possible: this is the bast mode of 
pruning, as it leaves no wounds to heal over, and, by being timely removed, they 
do not rob the trees of their nourishment. All buds not having fruit at their 
base, and not required to make wood, should in general be rubbed clean off; 
