CHAPTER XI. 
PRUNING TREES AND SHRURS. 
PRUNING SHADE TREES. 
'T'HE best time to prune shade trees is during the early 
Summer. During the Summer one is best able to dis¬ 
tinguish dead twigs and branches from the live ones. The 
limbs hang lower during the summer due to the weight of 
the leaves, so it is possible to better determine the amount 
to be cut off to permit passage under the trees. The cuts 
heal better when the trimming is done during the Summer. 
Heavy pruning and topping should be done only in the 
early Winter when the tree is dormant. But a tree should 
never be topped except upon the advice of, and by an 
experienced man. 
Maples and other trees in which the sap runs early 
should not be trimmed or topped between January and 
May. When such trees are trimmed after the sap starts 
to run they will often “bleed” for days. 
Next to shaping the tree the principal precaution to be 
taken in trimming shade trees is to make the cuts properly. 
All cuts should be made as close to the trunk as possible. 
Where cuts are not made close to the trunk a stub is left 
which will soon start to decay. This decay may eventu¬ 
ally reach the center of the tree and result in its early 
decline. The so-called knot holes in wood and lumber are 
due to the decay of stubs of branches. 
Where cuts are properly made (that is, when the 
limbs are cut close to the trunk and no stub is left) the 
