Hollinger Corn = — TE ay HAART | | ! l es S wi at cw. . OF Ss cr PRUNIRGE TREES AND ARBOR V INES, . PY JOHN Potts, | | Crozet, Albemarle County, Virginia. The author of the treatise on the subject of Pruning Trees and Vines, as appears in the following pages, seemeg the necessity of a more ra- _ tional understanding in the treatment of Trees and Vines, dedicates this little work to Science, for the prac- tical government of -ts tes= infepeed Tree and Vine Growers. PRich- 20. CENTS PER COPY.) POSTPAID. Copyright 1883, by John Dellins. OS Dh ab “ Le SE le ae ope BU : i of Re Nae | OA \ ‘i ‘ i iy > : | a\\ NO: Moh vf 2 od i é | CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA. Dy. Ks ae Peck & ALLAN, Book anv Jop PRINTERS: 1883. NU Kane Reali oa j Aiea xi ea Hee Srey elit Diy rare aU oh Ci Bhs BW Lag : te IR pet Meat aA te Nh oath) ny ba hae Flt, yet ae of sh Bee te igen ais Sy eth ty Ato unty Hk Iya (Oni lai OnSyey) ¥ LOO oul, uilaee Bers ib hee in ta hee Aye RONOMM Frat) Bee PO RARI EN See aca Gl TAR | THE ART OF PRUNIRG TREADS ALD ARBOR-VIN Ts. jay JOJLUN IBWOLILAUN'S, Crozet P. O., Albemarle County, Va. N all the details of the Georgic, or science of husbandry, Nature has not foreshadowed w surer incite to the artificial improvement of any of her works than she has to the physiological construction of trees and their concomitants, arbor-vines. The lessons. from which we learn the art of pruning, are texted in the natural laws of shedding branches to form the fundamental trunk to tree-structure, which are exampled in multiple repletion m the natural growth of trees everywhere. The manner of tree-str ucture, in its fixed organization of parts, is a sim- ple reproduction, in miniature form, of itself. The severed branch resem- bles the tree in whole, and the analogy may be traced on every’ divergency therefrom, The structural growth being wholly directed to the epidermis of the plant, it cannot rise up in its stretches from crotch to crotch like the anatomy of the animal creation. Nature has provided cause to overcome this deficiency by the canopial system formed in the complexity of subjects. That is by clustering many trees together, a canopy is formed, and as it is the univer- sal law of vegetable eTow vth to seek light, and space being contracted and overshadowed below, a powerful strain of sap juice is forced directly up the main leader as each unit in the group vies with all of its competitors to lift wp its head or top into the light above the canopy; and thus, as the lower divergencies have become overmatched and shut in from the hight, having served their purpose, they are dwarfed, die and finally shed, to give a smooth trunk to the rising structure. But for this cause alone, as is : fully illustrated by the isolated trees in the field, the first divergencies would ab- sorb too much aliment from the fundamental part of the structure, branch upon branch would enter into the struggle for the juices of life, which would dwarf their leader and preclude the possibility of a long, smooth trunk to the figure ; and we would have no timber in our primitive forest of any consid- erable commercial value, instead of the handsome pyramids of radiating branches mounted high on long smooth trunks, as al! timber trees should be, and all other trees, ornamental and fruit, should have a smooth, well- defined trunk, in proportion to the habits of their kind. But this cause alone, taught in the canopial text of shedding to form a trunk, whilst it will serve, in “nature’s slow w way, to grow new plantations of forest trees, is a practical ‘impossibility with the isolated ornamental or fruit [ 2 i tree m the field. What a grand subject is here presented and insighted to the demonstration of art to improve “the useful and beautiful of earth!” But, alas, how little understood! ‘The shockingly knotty, deformed trees left in our forests, the vacant places and neglected forms of ornamental, de- ciduous and evergreen trees around our dwellings, the miserable squatty, lop- sided, deformed, lazy -looking appearance of our fruit trees, and last, but not least, the poor behe: uded, ble: ak-bared grape-vine, with mildewed fruit in our vineyards, must attest. But what wonder, whilst the country is flooded with practical illustrated treatises upon almost every other subject of domestic husbandry, there are but few or none, that I am aware of, dedicated entirely to the subject. of pruning , founded upon the true principles of vegetable physiology, by practi- cal authors. One authority says he prunes down instead of up, meaning that he beheads the tree to force it to outdo itself in deformity. Another teacher says better not prune at all than too much; suggesting the lazy idea of nothing more to do after planting. And the authorities in the vine- yard slay the vine until the stump looks more like a chinquepin grub with its numerous sprouts than it does to its natural form in the embrace of the friendly tree. Then we say, away with such teachings as these and many other theorems, just as novel, in which there is not a shadow of true demonstrated science ; but is in direct contravention to nature’s teachings. To prune does not mean to behead, nor the clefting of vital parts, but “simply the removal of useless parts. ‘Those parts which have served their purpose and by their continued presence hinder perfect development. And this should be so thoroughly practiced on the tree or vine in its early stages, sighting to the stately ‘form of maturity, that no vital members shall have to be cut away thereafter. ‘lo cut away from this anatomy vital parts, such as its leader and overgrown br anches, is no more admissible than it is to amputate a leg or an arm of the animal anatomy, and only should be resorted to, to correct the deformities of casualty and neglect, which then becomes a simple act of surgery to make the best of it. The manner of pruning consists in smooth operations close to the outline of the member from which the detachment is made, thereby placing the wound within the easiest reach of descending, modified aliment, from the loaves down the circular chamnel, between the bark and the wood, which de- posits in its descent the tissues of which the cambium layer 1s ‘formed to make the annual ring on the old wood; the wood thus artly situated will soon become eny eloped with new wood and bar k, and be lost. to sight by the enlargement of the circumference of the member from which the de- tachment is made. The proper time to perform the operation of pruning young trees, forest and fruit trees, is at midsummer, as the modified aliment 1s descending to form the tissues of the cambium layer on its passage to the root, and will begin at once to form a lip of wood fibre and bark around the wound, the descending matter being too cloy to waste through the open- ing made in the maim channel, it is lodged around the cut to close the open- ing according to physical laws. And the wood being mostly flexible at this season, the stems may be str: aightened or bent and tied to correct deformity, to the satisfaction of ‘the operator. Late Autumn and early Winter finds the wood of the maturing tree and for the bearing fruit-tree in the next best condition to heal the wounds of the saw and pruning knife, to correct the deformities of neglect and casualty, being bare of leaves and fruit, its main features of defor mity may be seen at a elance and operated upon to the best advantage, and the severed sap chamnels will have time to dr y and contract before spring-time comes. The spring-time (at which unfortunately so much [3 eutting has been done) finds tree-structure of all kinds in the worst possible condition of helplessness to heal the wounds of surgery. Its main sap con- ductor has been broken into just as the simple fluid starts up the channel, which must bleed or leak out at the fresh incision for some considerable time, and when the said liquid sap is exposed to the open air, it cankers and festers the sore very much, to the detriment of the health of the tree. The secret of obtaining a complete cure in all operations requiring the removal of a branch, large or small, living or dead, consists in cutting close to and perfectly even with the trunk-line just at the time when the conditions of the organism is most favorable to heal the wound. And in the performance of this important work so thoroughly in the early stages of growth that there should exist no necessity of the removal of any large. “limbs tn maturing life. In the cases of the removal of large limbs from “neglected, and castialty- stricken trees, it is of prime importance after the wound, in all cases, has been prepared, as above directed, to apply at once some cauterizing matter, which will prevent the escape of sap and the introduction of water, “and also preserve the clefted wood sound until enveloped with growing wood. Down- ing says that a composition of alcohol and gum-shellac, applied with a brush, make the best cauterizer; but more recently, it is said, for this purpose coal- tar, a waste product of gas works, has been found superior to the many other preparations which have been used. It has remarkable preservative properties, and may be used with equal advantage on living or dead wood. A single application forms an impervious coating to the wood-cells. It pro- duces a sort of instantaneous cauterization, and preserves from decay wounds caused either in pruning or by accident. It is plentiful, cheap, and may be applied with an ordinary paint-brush. How much the trees im the woods, especially the young growing timber, may be improved by judicious and timely pruning ! Their trunks may be preserved sound thereby, and carried to a greater length for timber. Although the importance of growing new plantations of seedling timber- trees is not appreciated but by the few in this country, we insist that no more time should be lost to the proper consideration of this part of our sub- ject—the improvement and production of timber and shade trees: Ist. Go into the woods and cut down the old knotty and doted trees for fire-wood, and cut off smoothly the hideous snags and useless limbs from the lively trees, taking great care to save the young undergrowth trees of the most valuable kinds, which we would also prune up nicely. Then in the Fall of the year we would gather seed from the most valuable kinds (around about the fields is the best situation to find them), such as the oaks, chest- nut, and from the trees in the field. Black walnut, yellow locust, and in summer time, mazard cherry and mulberry, and white-ash (this last. from the nurseries), which we would sow in drills like corn rows in a well-pre- pared and rich plot of loamy ground, sow the acorns, walnut and locust at once when gathered. The cherry and mulberry seeds should be packed in dry sand in a box covered with moss, so as to keep in about the same condi- tion of moisture as when gathered until early Spring, then sown. The chest- nut is more difficult to manage, the worms destroy them so much, and if they get dry will not eerminate ; but some that escape the worms may be kept in damp moss until Spring and then sown. Many plants from seed may be gathered in the woods and. transplanted with success. Cultivate these seedlings nicely for two years or more, and thin out to desired thick- ness, planting out the thinnings in the adjoming lands, or a new plot, as many as wanted. Cultivate for a few years, and as necessity requires, prune for several years thereafter, and be proud of a valable ornament to the farm. As to everereens, the spruces, Norway, American black and white hemlock, ea arbor vitee, red cedar, &c., seedlings of which may be had cheap at most of the large nurseries, if liberally set out and cultivated for timber, alone from their ornamental presence and salutary influences, would make valuable ad- ditions to our forestry, especially in the neglected Middle and Southern States. The North and West having received more attention in these mat- ters. What a happy suggestion of comfort they offer in barring off the bleak winds from our dwellings when introduced on the lawn and systematically arranged on the bleak side of our houses. A thick row of them would make a haven of rest on the lea-sice. FRUIT TREES. In our general remarks on pruning, we endeavored to show the deficiency of natural cause to shed aw ay the first or lower branches to give place for a proportional trunk to the str ‘uctural development of the isolated tree in the field. And here itis m the orchard that we mostly need the practical art of pruning to serve that deficiency. Now, to apply the art of pruning com- pletely, we must commence the work with the maiden tree-plant in the nur- sery. And just here before we do commence we disown any but the most friendly feelings in interfering with the modus operandi of the professional nursery-men, W who have done so much to fill the land with the “beautiful and the good.” But to elevate that profession to which we belong, by trying to disabuse it of error, is our highest aim. And too, we do not know that the profession is any more to blame for the error we are about to assail than its patrons are. However, the preference has obtained for heavily low-branched fruit-tree transplantings, the flattermg model of perfection. The nursery-man, to cator to the preference of his customers, resorts to the practice of behead- ing his maiden trees to arrest the upward tendency influenced by the little canopy formed by his thickly growing subjects, which must cause the stilled buds on the stem below to push out mto branches, and thus prematurely form miniature old age. In this form it is sent out and transplanted in its permanent isolated place, with directions to grow low branched trees. And this is where the great error is committed, in violating the precepts of nature at the very foundation of the structure. We have said that the tree-structure was not like animal structure. The beautiful babe has, from the first erea- tion, a complete organism of stature for extension. It needs no more limbs, hands, nor feet, for complete development. Not so with tree organism. It has a reproductive structural form of development, which, from its fixed principles of organism, require the detachment of members which have served their purpose to give place for perfect development. ‘Therefore the miniature tree in the field cannot maintain proper proportions to maturity. Its side branches must be prumed away and the leader preserved, or it will develop into the worst sort of deformity. ‘Then it must appear that the top of the plant should not have been cut off, but that the side branches left on should have been cleared away so effectually as to maintain the propor- tions of a frame only, to be still further extended principally as a frame by the fruit grower, until it eradually, from age, assumes the form of maturity. The maiden tree- plant, of whatever species, fruit bearing, standard or dwarf, deciduous, ornamental, or coniferous, which has been bereft of its top, and thereby lost its main base-line leader, and does not out caliper and overtop its greatest side branches, is a deformity im the beginning, and without true artificial government with the pruning knife, must develop into misshapen form, not able to stay its own weight from castialty of storm, and the fruit- tree would be wrecked by the additional weight of its maturing fruit. Such trees are deformed more or less, according to the hight at which their cen- [5] trical trunk-line stools, the lower in the base-line, the greatest and the highest the least deformed. Each species of trees consist of a progeny of varie- ty from seed resembling its parent, more or less, according to the inward- ness of reproduction. Some of the species have been reproduced until they have a numerous progeny of varieties, each of which have been impressed constitutionally with a different habit of growth in conjointure of parts and vigor of size, varied from the drooping ‘bush up to the lofty tree. Here, again, we must allude to the professional hursery-man’s duty. He should be a thoughtful man, well up in nature’s works, that he may profit by demonstr: ating what he may see in nature. It is known by experiment that the propagation of plants from scions or grafts, cut from the lower drooping branches of a tree, will produce still more drooping habits, and that propagations cut from the vigorous top shoots of the same tree will dev elop into a more upright growing tree. If the variety is too much drooping in habit, the nursery-man, with his correct judgment, should choose only the leading upright branches from which to propagate. And if the variety should be too much inclined upright and forky, he should choose propaga- tions only from the lowest horizontal branches, and thus raise up or lower the habit, as might be wished, to give the most useful form. Especially should these principles be observed with fruit trees requiring surface and strength to bear up their heavy loads of fruit. “Another point with the nursery-man. ‘l'o sturdy the fruit-tree in place is one of the prime objects of pruning, and therefore we must examine the under-ground works of our tree. Both ends of a tree- plant from seed grow alike in general features, adapting themselves to different elements, the one to supply the raw mate- rial from the ground and the other to receive and prepare and send it back to ail parts for extension, ‘The seed in the soil first sends its root-stem down, then the top stem up. The root-stem casts out a radii of branches in the soil, which serve both as feeders and props to the rising stem above ground, which also casts out its branches in a corresponding ratio. Thus we see that the constitutional members of the under-ground part is just as liable to different habits as we have shown the up-¢ -oround part to be. The main root-stem. plinges deep into the subsoil, casting out-side branches in a decreasing ratio as it goes down until it has but little disposition to cast out any more branches at all, penetrating very deep into the earth, if no obsta- cle prevents. This main stay is the base of the fundamental trunk above ground. It has its braces, props and feeders near the surface, each part maintaining the habit to suit its purpose. The one to seek moisture in the deep earth in dry weather, and the others to prop and feed in seasonable weather. Varieties of trees are largely multiphed by grafting scions on short bits of main roots, especially the apple treé, is much treated so. That is, seed are sown and cultivated one or two years. They strike deep into the ground and make long, straight root-stems. These stems are cut into lengths of about four inches. One “seedling root making from two to four cuts, on which the grafts are joined. Now, from the disposition of habit of these parts, the first or surface cut takes off a large proportion of the propping and feeding principle, but is bereft of the deep tap-root principle. The sec- ond cut may, in a majority of cases, have enough left of both principles to make a tolerable tree; but the third and fourth. cuts, true to instinct, mostly send down long roots void of feeding fibres, and when used, are of but lit- tle worth. Now, in propagating by this mode, the seedling stock should only be sheared so as to maintain both of these vital principles, and one tree only made of each stock; they may be clipped to about eight inches on well- grown one year old seedlings, and transplanted with the union about two [6] inches below the surface. ‘This mode so treated, with a whole scedling to each graft, secures all the principles of a budded seedling, which more near- ly approaches a seed production than any other by which identical variety can be multiplied; and we prefer this mode for the apple to budding, as it secures all of the vital principles and makes more handsome trees, and is provided with a better fibered root to transplant. ‘The apple and the pear, grafted on this whole-stock principle, or budded on transplanted seedlings, properly pruned 1 in the nursery, make transplantings of the highest excel. lence. For stone-seeded fruits—cherries, peaches, plums, apricots, &¢.,—bud- ding on whole stocks, is the only mode by which these fruits can be success- fully propagated in perpetuation of identical variety. Nursery apple trees, grafted on cut sections of root, and all grafted stone-fruits, are but cheap stock, to make the best of it. The nurser y tree, of most kinds, are in better condition to remove and transplant at two and three years old than at any other age. The two years old tree should consist only of a single straight stem w ith its leaf spines left undisturbed by the propagator. The three- -years tree may have a few, three to four, small limbs on the upper third of its hight, with also its spurs left on. This constitutes the frame to build on. After this frame has been set im its permanent place, it should be watched and kept standing perfectly erect and worked often and pruned annually in midsummer, “permitting more branches to remain on the stem as it rises up, keep the tr unk-lne always in the lead and don’t permit the branches to tier around the trunk. Leave well-defined sections of the trunk, from one single branch to the next, on the opposite side. ‘Treat the branches same way, but do not rob them of leaf spurs. [f any of the upper branches on the small stem push too strong, cut them back to their small side branches, or, if they can be spared, cut them entirely away, to keep the leader in the ascendency. It is often the case, that the largest limb on the leader of the young tree should be pruned out to maintain an even balance of weight on the stem, and if it cannot well be spared, cut it back to a small up or side branch or bud, to check its growth. Also, it is often necessary to cut back the extremities of the ii anches to preserve balance and symmetr y of form. Thin out crowded parts and keep the head light and airy, so as to take the sail off in time of storms, when the ground is soft, that they may not blow down, nor lean to one side. Look at the trees in the old orchards now in that one-sided fix. Should this unbalancing occur, straighten up immediately after the storm, whilst the ground is still wet. If the leader bends to one side, put a muffle of old rags around its stem at the proper place and attach a wire to it and draw it to its perpendicular, making the other end of the wire fast to a stake driven in the ground at a suitable distance. Also, any limb on the tree may be directed by the wire to suit the notions of the operator. ‘These directions apply to all trees. But, of course, the operator will be governed by the size to which the different kinds of trees attain at maturity, and the use for which they are intended. Standard fruit trees should have smooth trunks from one-fourth to one-third their hight. Dwarf, one-fifth, and forest trees one-half to two-thirds, and ornamental (except the outside wind breaks) high enough to walk under.