Winter or Rest Pruning of Fruit Trees.

Te Aroha News, Volume V, Issue 212, 23 July 1887, Page 1

Winter or Rest Pruning of Fruit Trees.

The usual winter prim ng of the different fruit trees imisfc be undertaken, if possible, bufoie the sap begins to liso. More pruning of fruii. trees is done in t,hc winter than at any other season, not that the winter months are preferable, but because the cultivator can usually spare the time better, and from this cause much that should bo done during the summer is loft till winter. The best seasons for pruning all kinds of fruit and ornamental tiees are winter and summer. The winter pruning should if possible take place while the sap of the tree is at perfect icft ; the summei, when the wood is beginning to <jj-cfc hnn. The winter pruning has one advantage o\ er the summer, especially when deciduous tree? are to be operated on, and it is this — that while the tree is denuded of iN foliage every part of the tree is exposed to view, and it is then quite easy for the operator to determine which branches should be removed to admit more light and ait* to all parts of the tice, "what spurs want cutting farther back, and further regulating what was unavoidably overlooked during the summer pruning. In pruning, the operator should look well at the general habits and natural shapes of specimen.?, for almost every variety will 1 enquire a slightly different method of treatment. Some varieties will lequiie to be thinned out, while others will need to be headed back for the puipo^e of foicinga greater number of lateral hi anches. Another matter which requhes attention \<, if pos sibie, to get the whole head of the tieo well balanced, and see that no gi eater numlxv of branches aie left to grow on one side than on another. If the trees aie young and growing vigorously, vei y little uruning will be required, unless such as will be needed to dhect the ilow of sap into such branches as aie lequiied foi making the peunanent s-tructtue of the tree. Young tiees which, through some cause have to be severely pruned back, should receive a corresponihng pruning at the roots, as w ithout this a&e\ere pi lining 1 of the Lead would only tend to promote rapid rank growth, which would be useless for growing good crops of fruit for some years. Oi course, if the tree is not well balanced, or the branches cross each other, and aie otherwise becoming distorted, the pruning knife musD be u<-ed so a:- to get and keep them in proper shape and give free access ot light, and air to all parts of the tree. By allowing trees to grow freely and unchecked, merely cutting unruly branches, they aie moie likely to come into bearing early than if the branches were »e\eiely pruned every year (unless root-pruning is also performed). Weakgrowing trees, and especially thotc that numbers of slender branches, require more pruning than the stronger growers t for by thinning out and heading back we reduce the number of branches and cause the now of sap to those that remain, thus increasing their strength. Pruning when properly performed is an operation that is more or less beneficial to all kinds of trees and shrub". By pruning we not only bring them into better form, but also in a measure control the vital forces of the trees, distributing tho^e forces through all the various ramifications of the tree, and gh ing the fruit, flow 01^, and wood their proper proportions. The great secret of proper jn'iining consists in knowing the habits and nature of the different trees to be opeialcd upon — how to produce wood, etc., where wanted, the future use of each new shoot or branch, and how to provide for circumstances that may arise to interfere with the particular plan laid down. Only a few general rules can be laid down that may act as a- guide to the inexpciienced in such matters, as the particular treatment necessary for each kind of fruit tree or shrub must be determined by the operator according to circumstances and the state the trees are in while the pruning is being performed. For this reason alone, where trees require pruning only a known expert .should be allowed to touch them. Moie trees are f-poiled through neglect and bad pruning than from any other cause. {To be Continual.)