Pruning; (Continued)

Te Aroha News, Volume V, Issue 213, 30 July 1887, Page 1

Pruning; (Continued )

When a tree ha.« become well furnished with a proper supply of branches, care should be taken to keep them free from nil superfluous shoots, as they will nearly always throw out far more than are needed. The small shoots when they lirst make their appearance may not seem to lie (oo closo together : bufc it should be borne in mind that they will not only increase in size, but in time they will also produce other shoots, which would rapidly fill up the space between the limbs, canning buch an intricacy of small spmys that the tree could not receive a fair proportion of light and air. The best time in which to curtail this tendency is during the Mimmer, pinching back those shoot? which are not required to make blanches. Some kinds of fmit trees such as the apple, plum, pear, chciry, et<\ , produce their fmit principally on spurs of one or two inches in length, which grow horn the old or at least well established wood. Every endeavour should be made wliile pruning to increase the number of such spurs on the above trees. These spurs, if not injured or broken, willcontinuebeat ing for many years so that when a proper number of main branches and shoot* aie regularly arranged, the pruning required in nf tery en rssh on Id only be Mich as is nece-sary to keep the n<>w branches from coming in contact with the old, or checking any particular branch from taking the lead of its neighbour *md drawing to itself moie than its proper share of food. When large trees of the above class show any tendency to strong or rank growth the less pruning the limbs get the better. To curtail this, tendency X'esort to pruning the roots. The above class when grow n as dw ai fs require considerably more attention in the way of pruning in both winter and summer so as to keep them within proper bounds, as well as to promote fruitfulnen-:. The roots w ill also I'equirc more pruning than in the ca c c of large trees. The pe.ich, apiicot, and nectarineproduce their fiuit mostly upon one-year-old wood, and it i> therefore ni cc««ary to piune (hem in such a manner that a general supply of good beaiing shoots will be annually produced. This in readily accomplished by cutting back the main or beaiing shoots e\cry year almost any time during the winter months, or by cuefully thinning out dining fchesummerthe smaller and slender branches that are not, needed. The chei ry tree, however, should nexer be pruned except when it is absolutely necessary for it i-> one of the few hardy fruit trees that are said to dislikethe pruning knife. When it is necf-^ary to prune them it had better be done in winter than summer, for the leason that the exposed m ood becomes somew hat seasoned before the now of sap in spring commence-. Pruning in «piing, at or about the time tree commence to grow, should never ba practiced, except on those that arc being transplanted, for when the roots have been disturbed there is no danger of sap flowing from wound -3 made in pruning. But \\ ith trees that aie not disturbed it is quite difleient, and if 1 tranches are removed or wounds of any kind are made upon the stems or branches, sap will be likely to flow from them, attracting noxious injects. or the spores of microscopic plants, all of which will pi event the rapid healing of the wound?. It is true th;ifc by painting the exposed wood, or covering the wounds with wax, or -ome similar material, decay may be prevented, but it. is better to puine earlier in the winter ; otherwise delay these operations until the tree-> are in full leaf in summer. ( To he Continued. )