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Cornell University Libra

The little pruning book; an intimate guid

Cornell University

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The original of this book is in
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http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924003299686

Fhe fille Pruning Book

AN INTIMATE GUIDE TO
THE SURER GROWING OF
BETTER FRUITS axa FLOWERS

bY
FF: Rockwell

Published in the interest
of Better Gardening Ly
The PECK STOW & WILCOX CO.
Makers of Quality Pruning

@ 9 9 Shears e @ e

CLEVELAND, O.
U*S~A

NEW YORK €Tric
LLEGE OF AGRIC TURS

EPARTHENT GF FLOAIG LI -

NO ht, 1917, by Peck, Stow & Wilcox Company, Cleveland, Ohio

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ORNAMEMTAL fo Thani 7 hie

BIAS CG x /2 ee
K7 a

PAGE
F oreword: A Little Parable About Pruning F : : 5

Why Prune? The Reasons for Pruning; and What it
, Accomplishes . ‘ oe 3

The Gentle Art of Pruning: General Instructions 11

How to Prune: The Wrong Way and the sai and
Why the Latter is Worth While :

Pruning in the Rose Garden: Big Flowers, Many
Flowers, or a Glorious Show; and How to Get Them . 21

Pruning in the Flower Garden: Getting Bigger
Flowers, More Flowers and Longer Seasons of Bloom. 24

Pruning Shrubs, Trees, Hedges and Vines:
Howto Get the Results Desired, and to Tell When to Prune 26

Pruning Fruit Trees, Dwarf Fruits and

Trained Fruits: The Care of Young Trees and
the Rejuvenation of Old . . . Bs & ‘ . 31

P runing Small Fruits: Neglect in Pruning Causes
Inferior oy and Small seh How to Get the Best

Results ‘ SF
Definitions: Horticultural Definitions of a Few Garden
Words. . 42

Around the Yeu? ith hie Pains Shesie

Seasonable Work That Will Keep the Place ee Tape
and Give Better Fruits and Flowers. 43

Pruning Equipment: How to Select Good Pruning
Shears and Their Care; How to Get the Right Shears . 44

Conclusion: A Word tothe Wise Gardener . .. 48
4

eseoreword

A Little Parable About Pruning

i"

I" Figs do not grow upon thistles; neither good fruits upon the
unpruned tree. He that would have fine flowers, such as are set
before kings, let him apply his shears diligently, sparing not the
old branches, neither the young growth, nor any part that should
be taken away.

HE long-legged son of farmer Grimes let down the
bars, and drove the cattle toward home.

It was a mellow, belated autumn afternoon, and
the green-brown world, flooded with a golden mist of
light from the leisurely westerning sun, was good to
look upon, and full of dreams. Out of his ragged pocket
the boy drew a choice apple which he had been saving
for this opportunity to enjoy it uninterruptedly. As he
munched he dreamed, as every farmer’s boy in a
story should, that he would some day go to the city, and
live to see famous the name he bore. The apple he
devoured was so exceptionally good that instead of
lasting him to the barn, as was usually the case, at the
end of the lane it was all gone but the core, and that,
with a sigh, he tossed over the rail fence.

Of the five seeds which fell with the core, the imper-
tinent little chipmunk who lived in that corner found
three. Dead leaves covered the other two; and the snow
drifted over them through the winter; and in the spring
they put forth leaves and twigs, and fought for existence
with the wild choke-cherries and goldenrod which had
taken possession of that spot.

In good time it came to pass that farmer Grimes, who
was a careful husbandman, got around with his axe and
bush hook, for he liked it not that brush should grow
in his fence corners.

The first of the little apple trees he cut; and it fell
across his boot. Being one who worked with his eyes

5

open®and his wits about him, he noted the leaf. He
adjusted his steel-rimmed specs and picked it up.

“What is here?” he said. ‘‘An apple among the cherry
sprouts.”

Now (to fall into the vernacular, which we hate to do),
if thrift was a mole-hill, farmer Grimes would be a moun-
tain. So he took the corn-cob out of his mouth, and
leaning on his hook, looked again.

So it happened that the second little tree was spared.

But alas, how unfavorable was its environment!
Years passed, but the little tree had a mighty hard time
of it. It grew where the snow drifted, and many of its
branches were broken off. It was handy as a source of
switches for everyone who passed to let down the bars
for the cattle; and many a promising shoot was cut off
and trimmed up only to be broken about the hind legs
of any animal that lingered on the way home. The
cows themselves, as if in resentment for the part it
played in their chastisement, took a passing ‘‘hook”’
at it whenever they got a chance.

More years passed. The little tree had begun to bear
apples. The long-legged son of farmer Grimes had gone
to the city to get a job in an office where he could wear
a pink shirt and consider himself ‘‘some cheese”. The
county had prospered, moderately, until it now boasted
on every barn on the way to town, its forthcoming
first Big County Fair!

And among the local farmers, competition was es-
pecially keen for one entry on the premium list—‘‘the
best plate of apples, any variety.”

Well, to trim our little story short, the blue card
went to ‘‘Grimes Foundling”..... For all this was in
the days before everyone knew the importance of
pruning; and Chance had done for farmer Grimes what
he didn’t know—then—how to do for himself.

In the succeeding years many ‘‘whips” were cut from
that wayside tree—but not to beat cows with. They
went into other orchards for grafting, and made that
section famous. And they brought the thrifty old farmer
many an iron man,in those long-ago days whenan I.M.
could go to the grocery store and march home with

6

something more than nine pounds of beet sugar to its
credit!

Moral: There is only one thing that pays better than
having a sound knowledge of pruning: and that is
—to USE it. The following pages are for you:

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Why Prune?

- The Reasons for Pruning; and What It
Accomplishes

HAT is pruning?
Every one knows, in a general way, what is

meant by pruning. But to make perfectly clear
at the beginning just what we are talking about, let us
give the following definition:

Pruning is the removal from a plant of that part
which is undesirable or superfluous.

In other words, pruning is one of the arts of. the
grower—or of the horticulturist, if you prefer! by which
he or she obtains better results than nature, unassisted,
would give. All of the arts of the grower are bent to
one or both of two definite ends: to improve results, or
to make them more certain. Pruning does both.

The gardener’s work, in almost every thing he does,
is to co-operate with Nature. To the extent he learns
how to do this, his efforts will be rewarded by success.
His problem really is to discover the things he can do
that will actually be working with nature, and not
counter to her way of doing things. The ‘improving
on nature” which one hears much about is in reality
merely lending her a helping hand, by following the tips
she herself gives. When we interpret these tips correctly
and are guided accordingly, it means successful garden-
ing.

What can Nature show us about pruning?

Go out into the wood, or peer into the hedgerow down
the road, and you will see that the Old Dame herself
is the greatest pruner that ever came down the pike!
Even in your garden, when you come to understand
just what she is doing, you will see that she has attended
to so much of the pruning herself that what is left for
you to do is merely supplementary. But in the wood
or the hedgerow it is easier to see how she takes care of
the job. Every dead branch on a tree; every dead twig
under your foot; is the result of the remorseless use of
her invisible pruning shears. When you come to see

9

with a perceiving eye you will realize that among the
silent growing things there is going on as savage aml

as ferocious a struggle for existence as ever took place
among half-starved beasts in the jungle. The weaker
shrubs or trees in each group or clump must succumb,
and the struggle is continued among the branches of
those which survive. Look at the full grown trees in
a thick piece of woods: many without a branch for
fifteen to thirty feet up. Nature is a pitiless pruner!

Then why not leave the job of pruning to Nature?

Because it means wasted effort on the part of the plant.
It is part of the gardener’s business to save the plant
this unproductive effort. To do so means that the
plant’s energies, before wasted in civil warfare, can
be devoted to the production of finer flowers, better
fruits, or additional growth.

Moreover, while nature does the job of pruning
thoroughly enough to serve her own purpose, which in
most cases is the reproduction of the species, the gardener
may have ‘a different purpose in mind. Nature is,
for instance, set upon the production of a large number
of apple seeds, and is not concerned if the “fruits”
in which they are borne, are small, bitter, and poorly
colored. The gardener, on the other hand, wants to
obtain large, juicy, and highly colored apples, and would
be a to death to get them, if he could, with no seeds
at all!

Actual results have shown that judicious pruning
may not only accomplish these results, but actually
add to the vigor and total growth of the plant pruned.

It is told of two Siberian crab apple trees, as near
alike as one could possibly get them, set out under the
same conditions. The next year (in February) one of
these was pruned, and the other was not. The same
season the pruned tree made fourteen feet more growth,
and stouter growth, than the unpruned! This is only
one instance, but it is representative of results which
have been obtained repeatedly, both in experiments
and in commercial work.

There is, in short, no doubt that intelligent pruning
properly done is one of the greatest aids to the gardener
in obtaining better flowers and fruits. The question
is: when and how to do it?

10

The Gentle Art of Pruning

General Instructions

as it is to give rules for other things, but the gardener

who does not know some things about the why as
well as the how of his work is never the progressive and
increasingly successful gardener. Almost any rules,
of course, are better than mere guess work; but rules
which are understood, so that they will not be followed
blindly in spite of conditions that should alter or suspend
them, are much better.

Therefore, before attempting to formulate any rules
on pruning, let us stop a moment to look into the way
Dame Nature does the job; and examine how plants
develop, and why they need pruning, before we attempt
to interfere.

Plants develop
through “‘buds.’”’ The
bud is formed, usually
rests for a while, and
then resumes growth
and develops into a
new twig, or branch,
which becomes part
of the permanent
structure of the plant;
or produces flowers,
followed by seeds or

Le is as simple to give a number of rules for pruning

Axinary
Buds

fruits. '¢ Dormant
What is a “bud?” f
Look at the draw- FIG, 1.

: Young branch or shoot from a tree, showing
ing FIG. 1, or better the different kinds of buds. The strongest

still exe) out and cut a buds are at and near the tip.

branch or a sprouting

twig from an apple tree, a shrub, a currant bush, or
any plant that is convenient. You will notice along the
sides, and at the tip, little swellings or pointed caps
which are decidedly different from the wood to which
they are attached. They will break or rub off

11

readily, leaving only a slight mark to show where they
were attached. If you open one and look at it under a
magnifying glass, you may find, according to its stage of
development and variety, miniature leaves, or even
the parts of a flowér, neatly packed away.

Even on the smallest twig, you will notice a decided
difference in the appearance of the several buds. The
one at the very end of the growth, which is usually the
strongest, is called the terminal bud; those below it,
situated in pairs or alternately, are called axillary buds,
because they are formed in the axils of the leaves. You
will notice, if you examine the buds on a number of
different shoots, that the buds nearer the top on those
growing vertically, and the buds on the upper surface
of those growing horizontally, are stronger than those
nearer the base, or on the lower surface. When growth is
resumed not all of these buds will start out. A large
percentage of them, especially the small or weaker ones,
will remain dormant, and are known as dormant buds.
If anything happens to the terminal bud either before or
after growth is resumed, to injure or remove it—if, for
instance, it is cut away —the bud or buds just below it
will receive the nourishment meant for the amputated
bud, and be greatly stimulated in theirgrowth. Incase
of injury or removal of many buds, some of the ‘“‘dormant”
buds will become active—nature keeps them asa reserve
supply, to be used only in case of necessity. But even
these are not the last card she has to play. If, in turn,
so many of these are injured or removed that the balance
between the top of the plant and the roots is again upset,
new buds may form at any point along the branch or
shoots, or even on the main trunk or stem of the plant
itself. These are called advantitious buds, and in their

turn will carry on the work which the others were designed
to perform.

It is evident then that by removing certain parts of
the plant and, as it were, directing the energies thus
interrupted into other channels, we can to a consider-
able extent control the plant’s development. This is
where Nature leaves off, and the gardener takes a hand:
and after that the responsibility is up to the gardener.

12

The first step in any kind of pruning should be to
determine definitely, in advance, just what it is we want
to accomplish. Without that ideal in the mind’s eye, to
work to, we are not likely to do much better than Nature
unassisted would do, and may bungle the whole job.
All the different kinds of pruning there are to be done
may be classed under the three following heads. Of
course, two or three of these may be applied to the same
plant, but they are distinct, nevertheless.

1. Pruning to increase general health and vigor.
2. Pruning to get a special form of growth.

3. Pruning to increase quantity or improve quality
of the product.

1. PRUNING TO INCREASE GENERAL HEALTH AND
ViGoR.—Pruning to be done for this purpose will depend
very largely upon the kind of plant; some being bene-
fitted by quite severe pruning, while others do better
with hardly any at all. The first step in pruning for
general health should be to remove all dead growth, and
to cut all dying and diseased growth back to live healthy
wood. The second step is to remove growth which is
likely to injure or be injured by some other part of the
plant, such as limbs in fruit trees which cross one another
and rub together; tall canes in the rose garden which
might whip about in the wind, etc. Thirdly, remove
such superfluous growth as there may be,—that is,
any parts of the plant which may not, for any reason,
be needed to get the results you are after. In the case
of most shrubs, climbing roses, and ornamentals, this
includes old wood that is not yet dead, but which takes
up sunlight and space that could be used to better
advantage by the freer flowering new growth which
is constantly struggling to take its place.

In addition to this the parts of the plant remaining
should be pruned back to the extent which experience
has shown to be desirable for the particular thing in
hand. More detailed information concerning the dif-
ferent plants is given in the chapters which follow, but
in general it may be said that:

Vigorous plants should be pruned LESS SEVERELY than
weak growing plants
13

This seems at first something of a paradox, but the
reason is plain when you stop to think about it. I have
already spoken about the balance between root action
and tops that must be maintained. If plants of vig-
orous root action are pruned too severely they either die,
are seriously injured, or make so much and so rapid new
growth that it is watery and abnormal in character, and
unsuited to the gardener’s purpose. In other words,
there is a line beyond which no plant can. safely be
pruned; and this line is reached more quickly in the case
of the plant of vigorous root action than in that of a
weaker root action. Hence, the rule just laid down—
prune strong growing plants Jess severely than weak
growing ones.

It should be kept in mind, however, that this applies
to plants in good health. Where the root action has been
temporarily checked by disease, unfavorable conditions,
or transplanting, severe pruning may often be resorted
to with advantage.

2. PRUNING TO GET A SPECIAL Form oF GROWTH.—
Nature has her own habit of growth or “plant form”
for every species and every variety that grows. Fre-
quently, however, it suits the gardener’s purpose to
modify or entirely change this natural habit. In the
case of fruit trees, he does it largely in order that they
may be more easily cared for. In the case of hedge
plants and many ornamentals, he does it to keep them
within certain predetermined limits, or to get formal
effects. Whatever his reason may be, there are certain
things he must keep in mind to attain his ends. The
first is that every plant, no matter how severely or often
pruned, tends to resume quickly its natural form. The
gardener should, therefore, plan to keep as near this as
he can while still carrying out his own object. The second
is that by removing the upper buds, or bud, the lower
buds or growth will be stimulated; but that one or more
of them will immediately make the effort to take the
place of that which has been removed. If the top of a
young tree is cut off, for instance, a new “leader” imme-
diately makes the effort to take the place of it. This is
important in the pruning of hedge plants and speci-
mens, where a thick growth is wanted clear to the

14

t

ground. Merely cutting back plants which have been
allowed to grow tall will not give the desired results,
as the bottom will still remain straggly, while the plant
endeavors to form a vigorous new top. The pruning
should be begun early in the plant’s life, and very low
down, so that the desired thick growth is maintained
from the bottom up. Thirdly, whatever tends to hinder
the flow of sap from the roots to the upper parts of the
plant will stimulate growth on the lower portions. For
this reason, roses and other things which would be bare
and unsightly at the bottom, if allowed to take their
natural course, are often bent over to the ground to a
horizontal position, and then given another bend to the
upright nearer the end of the stem.

One of the apparent contradictions in pruning comes
in at this pioint. In pruning the different parts of the
same plant for the purpose of trimming, training, or get-
ting a symmetrical specimen:

The more vigorous parts of the plant should be pruned MORE

severely than the weaker growths.

By doing this, it is possible to divert the constructive
energies of the plant to these weaker parts, and greatly
stimulate their growth.

3. PRUNING TO INCREASE QUANTITY OR IMPROVE
QUALITY OF Propuct.—Usually it is the quality and not
the quantity which the gardener seeks in bettering
nature. We want bigger apples, bigger peaches, bigger
roses, and bigger dahlias, rather than more of them.
Nevertheless we also resort to a form of pruning when
we attempt to cheat nature into giving us more sweet
peas, more summer roses, or a longer continued crop of
certain perennials and annuals, than she would do if
left alone. The theory of pruning to get bigger flowers
and fruits is almost the same as that mentioned above—
we divert part of the plant’s energies, or vitality, from
where it would naturally go, to where we want it to go.
Only in this case, it is the strongest and most promising
buds and growth which we seek to stimulate by sacri-
ficing the weaker. Here, however, again we find a line
beyond which we cannot go with safety, because if we
prune too severely, nature revolts, and instead of giving
us still bigger fruits or more gigantic blooms, will begin

15

to turn this surplus energy into a sudden new growth of
wood and foliage: or get real peevish and quit altogether.
Beyond a certain point the old Dame can be neither
coddled nor blarneyed along.

So we begin to get an idea of what we can accomplish
with our little pruning shears; and to realize the direction
in which we can work and the fact that there are limita-
tions beyond which we cannot go. The first thing, we
may repeat, so that there will be less danger of your for-
getting it, is to fix your ideal to prune to in each case,
before the first snip is made. The second thing is to do
your snipping in such a way that there will be the least
possibility of injuring the plant. In other words, the
pruner should be a good surgeon as well as a good
diagnostician. And that we will take up in the next
chapter.

16

How To Prune

The Wrong Way and the Right;
and Why the Latter is Worth While

E have already said that pruning improperly

done is worse than none at all. This applies

not only to mistakes in pruning, too much
pruning, or pruning at the wrong season, but also to a
poorly done job. With plants, as with animal life, any
wound is a danger spot, because it is a possible opening
for the entrance of various diseases. Unless it is so
made and cared for that it will heal quickly, it is almost
sure to cause trouble sooner or later.

Practice alone, in pruning as in all other kinds of work,
from dish-washing to piano-playing, can bring perfection.
But in pruning there are many mistakes which even the
novice can avoid, if he or she is fore-warned. The
trouble is that any warning given on a printed page is
likely to be forgotten, until it has been driven home by
a lesson from that ungentle but effectual school ma’am,
“‘Experience.”” Therefore, to save yourself disappoint-
ment and loss where it is possible to do so, make yourself
thoroughly acquainted with the suggestions given in
this chapter, even if you have to read it over several
times.

As a general rule, the earlier in the development of the
plant or limb, or shoot, the pruning required can be done
the better.

We have seen that one of the main objects in pruning
is to conserve the energies of the plant that are wasted
by the struggle for survival among its branches, using
it either to increase the general vitality of the plant, or
to direct it to some particular part of the plant where it
would help along the design or end that the gardener
has in mind. Wherever, therefore, it is possible, prun-
ing should be done with the thumb and finger! In this
way none of the plant’s strength is wasted on growth
which is merely to be cut away later. Besides this, the
wound left is imperceptible and heals almost at once,

17

and the balance between the top and the roots of the
plant is not upset. This finger pruning—in some cases
called ‘‘dis-budding”—should be practiced a good deal
more than it usually is. You are doubtless in the habit
of removing the buds from your chrysanthemums to
get larger flowers and of “‘pinching out” the surplus
shoots on your tomato plants so that they will not attempt
to bear more fruit than they can ripen quickly. Exactly
the same thing can be done to many other plants, shrubs,
and trees, thus saving the plant and yourself a lot of
useless work.

A 1)

FIG. 2.

Making the cut in pruning: A—vyight for summer or
green pruning; B—right for winter or dormant pruning;
C—wrong, too slanting; D—wrong, too far from bud;
E—wrong, too close to bud.

But most of: your pruning, even if you are more careful
than the average gardener about ‘‘nipping in the bud”
superfluous and undesirable growth, will be done with
the pruning shears. In using them, there are four things
which you should always keep in mind. Eventually
they will become second nature, but at the outset you
should learn them by heart, so that you can check them
off on your finger tips any time you ask yourself what
they are!

First—A/ways leave a clean smooth cut. Careless
cutting or dull shears, leaving a ragged edge, means slow
healing and increased danger—to say nothing about its
being the earmark of a slovenly gardener.

SECOND—Cut just the right distance above the bud.
If you cut close to it, it is likely to be injured. If you

18

cut too far above it, a-dead stub will be left. On small
branches and twigs, cut from a quarter to less than half-
an-inch above the bud. If pruning is done when plants
are in active growth, however, the cut should be made
close to the bud, as it will heal almost immediately.
The accompanying diagram illustrates how the cut
should be made.

Tuirp—Prune above an outside bud. This will tend
to keep the new growth branching outward, giving the
plant an open center with plenty of space and light.

FIG. 3. FIG. 4,
Removing a large limb: result of R large limb: correct
wrong method, attempting to do it midioodl brat cur at A; second cut
with one cut. at B; then saw off stub at C-D.

While in some specific case there may be reasons for
selecting an inside bud, this holds as a general rule.

FourtH—Cut close up to and parallel with the main
branch, trunk or stem. In removing a branch from a
tree or side shoots from shrubs or plants, the leaving of
a stub, even if it is a short one, delays the healing or
makes it possible for disease germs to enter, thus pro-
viding for future trouble.

Sometimes it is necessary to remove quite large
branches. This should never be done, if it can be
avoided, but with old trees that have been neglected,
and in the case of limbs broken by ice storms, or through
over-bearing, and from similar causes, there is, nothing
else to do. In such cases, the way that is the safest and

19

in the end the most convenient, is to remove the branch,
first, lopping it off with an axe, and then sawing off the
stub, a foot or so above the point where the pruning
cut is to be made; then the final cut may be made clean
and neat, just where you want it. With large and heavy
branches there is the danger that it will break before
the sawing is finished, and strip the bark, making a very
serious wound. (See Fig. No. 3.) To prevent this,
make a cut on the under side of the limb; then saw it
off several inches beyond this, and remove the stub.
(See Fig. No. 4.)

Much has been written about protecting large prun-
ing wounds on trees. In cases where the center of the
limb removed has decayed, leaving a cavity, this should
be cleaned out thoroughly to sound wood, and lined with
coal tar; then filled with cement. Sound wooded wounds
over two or three inches in diameter should be covered
with lead paint, or with tree paint made for this purpose,
to within a half to three quarters of an inch of the cir-
cumference. This protects the center, which is the dan-
ger spot, and at the same time leaves clean bare wood for
the new bark which should eventually grow in and cover
the entire wound.

new YORu STATE
SOLLEGR OF AGRICULTURE

DEPARTWENT OF FLOROULTURE
AND
CWAMENTAL BORTIOOLTHRE
CORNELL UNIVERSITY
ITHACA, M. Y:

20

‘

Pruning in the Rose Garden

Big Flowers, Many Flowers, or a Glorious
Show; and How to Get Them

RUNING is a more important factor of success

with roses than with anything else you grow. There

are a few sorts which will get along with compara-
tively little care but the majority of them, and especially
the garden roses, will reward only the gardener who does
not spare the pruning shears.

There are, however, roses of all kinds and descriptions,
differing in their requirements and having possibilities
of treatment in various ways, so that the inexperienced
gardener will be lost unless he can get a few general
principles of rose pruning

fixed. I shall try in this chap- i

ter to straighten out this rose ; > :
tangle so that any one who i ts é i]
will follow the instructicns 4 Mf
given cannot go far wrong. Vee ee i

5
ore
ay

To begin with there aretwo \ if
things to be considered in 4
pruning anyrose. Thefirst¥s |

the natural characterror; bp i
aE ee

the result the gardener may .-- S

J
wish to achieve—thesfipgst sy -§ SY,
individual flowers;thegreatest |“ "" ==SREGSS
quantity of good flowefssor * oe

the most striking show in his — gping pruning of hardy garden
garden, or on the trellis or _rosesithe more severe the pruning:
arbor, as the case may be. not be so many of them. Cut
To take the second of these —_Miustrates_ medium pruning of
factors first: With any indi-
vidual plant you may follow one of at least three methods
of pruning. Severe pruning will give you the finest indi-
vidual blooms, the most perfect roses you can produce,
under the conditions you have. Moderate pruning will
give you many more blooms and quite perfect ones,

21

but they will not be so large, nor have such long stems, :
as you could get with severe pruning. Light pruning will -
give you more abundant bloom, larger plants, a contin-
uous supply, and the most striking decorative effect in
your garden or on your lawn; but the individual flowers
will not be as fine for cutting, as they will be smaller,
less prefect and have shorter stems. It is up to the
gardener to decide which of these methods of pruning
shall be followed. It is a matter of personal choice,
which does not effect the general welfare of the rose
garden. Where there are many roses probably all
three methods will be utilized, so that there will be
some extra fine blooms for the house and for giving
away, and at the same time a glorious display about
the grounds.

Before you attempt to prune any rose you should
know to what type or class it belongs. Pruning on which
some kinds would thrive would be fatal to others. If
you know the names of the varieties you have, you can
easily identify the type or class of each one by referring
to any good rose catalog. After each name you will
find an abbreviation, such as ‘“‘H. P.”,“‘H. T.”,“T,” and
so forth, signifying “hybrid perpetuals,” ‘‘hybrid teas,”
“teas,” or whatever it may be. A key to the abbre-
viations is usually given at the beginning of the list.
If you do not know the names of the varieties you have
you should by all means make an effort to identify them
by the help of some friend when they are in bloom, or
by a careful study of the catalogs. On each tag you
should mark the type or class, as well as the variety,
to guide you in your future pruning.

You will find that some varieties of the same type
or class are much more robust than others. The weaker
varieties should be pruned back more severely than the
stronger ones. In all cases, as a general rule, you should
cut from about a quarter to a half an inch above the
outside bud or eye.

HYBRID PERPETUALS: Prune in March or early
April; remove all weak growth and winterkilled wood.
For severe pruning, cut stronger shoots back from eight

to ten inches, or three or four buds, leaving only four
to six branches. For moderate pruning leave six to

22

seven eyes; and for /ight pruning, cut back a third or so,
and stake up loosely tall growing sorts.

HYBRID TEAS: Prune in April as soon as growth
starts. Remove all weak growth and thin wood entirely,
and cut stronger shoots back to eight to twelve inches.

TEAS: Prune in April, not so severely; cut out all
weak wood and stronger shoots back to a good strong

bud.

RUGOSA: Little pruning is required. Cut all old
canes out every two or three years, and enough new
growth to keep the plants from crowding. Plants may
be trimmed back to any shape desired.

HARDY CLIMBERS AND RAMBLERS: In
spring cut out dead and winter killed wood. In summer
after flowering cut back severely, removing old wood to
the ground, or main trunk, to get new strong growth of
canes on which next year’s flowers will be produced.

HYBRID SWEET BRIARS: Remove only surplus
canes and trim lightly to keep in shape.

AUSTRIAN BRIARS: Prune as with hybrid per-
petuals.

MOSS ROSES: Cut back sparingly in spring to
trim last year’s growth to shape; remove old canes.

In addition to this regular annual pruning the ever-
blooming garden varieties should be pruned lightly
after the first blooming period unless most of the flowers
have been cut with long stems.

In planting roses, if dormant roots are used hybrid
perpetuals should be severely pruned, back to three or
four buds on each branch, as soon as they are set out.
Hybrid teas and teas cut back to six or eight buds. Well
established pot grown roses—which are the best to plant
—will usually need no pruning, or only light pruning,
when being set out, as they come ready to plant.

In autumn long canes or whips that have been sent
up late in the season should be pruned back from a
third to a half of their length to keep them from being
whipped about in the winter winds.

23

Pruning in the Flower Garden

Getting Bigger Flowers, More Flowers,
and Longer Seasons of Bloom

HE flower beds, including annuals and perennials,
are with few exceptions allowed to take care of
their own course without restraint or guidance
on the part of the gardener. They can, however, be
controlled as readily as other things, and the pruning
shears and the fingers can be used to great advantage.
There are, for instance, very few plants which cannot
be made to give much finer blooms by judicious pruning.

Dahlias, chrysanthemums, both hardy and exhibition
varieties, asters, and a very few others are often pruned
or disbudded for this purpose, but the same treatment
applied to many flowers, such as hardy pinks, antirr-
hinums (snap dragons), begonias, cosmos, heliotrope,
zinnias, salpiglossis, etc., will produce as marked results.
To get extra large flowers only a few stalks or branches
should be left to each plant, and only a few buds, or one,
to each stalk. Usually the terminal bud, or cluster
of buds, is the strongest, and the others should be
pruned off or pinched off before they have made such
development.

With many plants, however, just the opposite treat-
ment is needed. If left to themselves they will shoot
up one strong straight stalk, bearing a few fine flowers
at the top, while the side shoots amount to little or
remain entirely undeveloped. This is especially true
of seedling plants of many annuals, and when they
have once flowered and borne seed, they are through
for the rest of the season, having accomplished their
purpose in life. Many annuals and tender perennials,
such as asters, snapdragons, heliotrope, cosmos, stocks,
petunias, marigold, etc., if the main stem of the young
plant is pinched or cut off before the first top buds are
developed, may be induced to branch freely and bear
many more flowers than they would otherwise. In order
to get as long a blooming period as possible from the
various annuals and perennials, all flowers should be

24

kept cut off as soon as they begin to fade; pansies and
sweet peas are two of the most striking examples. You
should have a regular time every day, or at the least
every other day, to go over the flower bed with your
small pruning shears and snip off all blooms which are
beginning to be passe.

In many cases a second crop of flowers can be had by
a thorough pruning or cutting back, after the first crop
is over. Removing half or even two-thirds of the top
will induce a new growth to break out at the bottom from
the remaining ‘‘stubs,” which will grow rapidly and
flower freely. Try this with your sweet peas and other
annuals which seem to be “going by.’ If the soil is
dry at the time, a thorough watering should be given,
and another as soon as the new growth starts.

It is often desirable to keep piants at a certain height,
or to make them conform more or less to a form shape,
especially where they are used in hedges, lining out, etc.
Most of the perennials and annuals will stand being cut
to shape to whatever form may be wanted; but do not
let them get full growth, and then cut them back. Begin
your trimming early, to make them bushy and to give
them a “good face,” and let them gradually develop
to the size wanted.

25

Pruning Shrubs, Trees, Hedges,
and Vines

How to Get the Results Desired, and
to Tell When to Prune

T is perhaps hardly necessary to mention the desira-
bility of “keeping up the place.’ Many persons,
however, fail to realize the important part which

the pruning shears play in preserving a neat, trim
appearance at all times. Neglected trees and shrubs
give a down-at-the heel effect, no matter how the walks,
lawn, and flower beds may be kept.

Not only the general appearance, however, but the
amount and the kind of blooms on your various shrubs,
and the health and longevity of your trees, depend to
a large extent upon their receiving timely and intelli-
gent attention in this respect.

Before giving suggestions as to the care of the different
classes of plants covered in this chapter, it will simplify
matters if we define in advance a few of the terms which
will be used. Long pruning and short pruinng refer
to the severity of the cutting. By “long pruning” is
meant that more wood is left on the plant than is cut
away, and by ‘‘short pruning,” the opposite. From what
has already been said in connection with the general
principles of pruning and the pruning of roses, it is plain
that, other things being equal, long pruning will produce
a greater show of flowers, while short pruning produces
fewer flowers, but these of exceptional quality.

Green or summer pruning and dry or dormant pruning
refer to the condition of the wood or the season in which
the pruning is done; the former indicating that the wood
is cut while in active growth in the spring or summer,
and the latter that the wood is cut when the sap is
inactive in late fall, winter or very early spring. Shearing
is the cutting back, usually not very heavy, to a uniform
smooth surface. It is as a rule done with shears made
especially for this purpose.

26

Old wood is that of several seasons growth, not neces-
sarily beginning to die, but having passed the stage of
most vigorous production of flowering shoots or foliage.
“Surplus’’ wood is that which is over-crowding the plant,
or stands in the way of the development of new growth,
which will be increased by the space left by its removal.

Do not feel that the following suggestions must be
followed blindly. The most prized thing that you can
grow in your garden is individuality. The following
“cules’”’ are for the results which in most cases are gen-
erally sought. But if you wish to have your plants
do for you things they are not generally made to do for
your neighbors, by all means persuade them to follow
your wishes if you can. Get the general principles clear
in your mind, and you can make your own rules—that
is the ideal toward which every wielder of the shears
should work.

For the purpose of pruning, the ornamental shrubs
should be considered in two general groups:

First: Those which flower, usually in the spring or
early summer, from buds on the wood of the previous
season’s growth, such as Deutzia, Weigalia, Forsythia,
Lilac, and Viburnum. This group should be pruned
green directly after flowering. By dormant pruning
many of the buds would be sacrificed.

SEconD: Those which flower, usually during late
summer or in early autumn, from buds on the current
year’s growth, such as Buddleia, Calycanthus, Hibiscus,
and Philadelphus. This group should be pruned dormant
before growth begins in the spring.

The following lists show the common shrubs belonging
to each group.

SHRUBS BLOOMING ON LAST YEAR’S WOOD
(Prune Green After Flowering)

Akebia Bignonia (Trumpet Vine)
Aristolochia Celastrus (Bitter Sweet)
Azaleas (Hardy Ghent, Mollis) Cercis (Judas Tree) ;
Calycanthus Floridus (Straw- Chionanthus (White Fringe)
berry Plant) Cornus (Dogwood)
Barberis (Barberry) eas oxyacantha (Haw-
thorne

27

Cydonia (Japan Prince) Prunus (Flowering Almond)

Deutzia Rhododendron

Exochorda (Pearl Bush) Ribes (Flowering Currant)

Forsythia (Golden Bell) Roses, Climbing Varieties

Hydrangea, Hortensis Sambucus, nigra (Golden Elder)

Jasminum Spirea Prunifolia (Bridal Wreath)

Judzu Vine Spirea Thunbergii

Lilac Spirea Van Houteii

Lonicera fragrantissia (Bush Viburnum (Snowball)
Honeysuckle) Weigalia

Philadelphus (Mock Orange) Wistaria
Paeonia Moutan (Tree Paeony)

SHRUBS BLOOMING ON THIS YEAR’S WOOD
(Prune Dormant in Winter or Early Spring)

Actinidia (Silver Vine) Lycium (Matrimonial Vine)
Althea (Rose of Sharon) Rhus (Smoke Tree)

Buddlea (Butterfly Shrub) Roses (Garden Bush Varieties
Calycanthus Rubus (Flowering Raspberry)
Ceanothus Sambucus, pubens (Elder)
Clematis Jackmanii Spirea Anthony Waterer
Clethra (White Alder) Spirea Bumalda

Desmodium Spirea Douglasi

Diervilla Canadensis Viburnum Tinus

Genista (Rock Broom) Viburnum Opulus (High Bush
Hibiscus Syriacus Cranberry)

Honeysuckle Vitex (Chaste Tree)

Hydrangea paniculata

The following shrubs require very little pruning;
merely the occasional removal of the broken or old wood:

Akebia; Andromeda; Lily of the Valley; Aralia;
Angelica Tree; Artemisia; Azalea; Barberis; Chonan-
thus; Crataegus Pyracantha; Fiery Thorn; Cytisus
Laburnum; Golden Chain; Daphne; Garland Flower;

Kalmia, Laurel; Lonicera Tatarica; Magnolia; Mahonia;
Rhododendron.

Most of the shrubs mentioned above can be used either
as individual specimens or in the mixed shrubbery bor-
der. In the former case, they will need more attention
in the way of pruning. For the shrubbery border a
naturalistic effect is desired, and the different plants
should be allowed to grow and intermingle freely.

HEDGES: In the pruning of hedges, on the con-
trary, itis usually a formal effect that is wanted. To
get a good hedge, plants to be used should be set close

28

together—about four to twelve inches apart—while for
the shrubbery border they are put from two to three
feet apart. Many beginners make the mistake of let-
ting the hedge grow to the height desired before they
begin to prune. To obtain a good “face” and to a hedge
that is well filled out down to the ground, pruning should
begin at once. Cut back severely when the plants are
set, to induce a thick growth of low branches; and head
in once or twice each year until the plants begin to
attain their normal size, when they should be sheared
semi-annually, or oftener. In some cases a formal hedge
is not desired. Barberry, for instance, is much more
attractive if allowed to assume its natural form, and
in this case the plants should not be so near together.
Many of the evergreens make excellent hedges, but

FIG. 6.

Cross-sections

Starting the formal hedge; begin with the young plant and keep new growth
headed back several times a season until shape and size desired is attained.

they must be pruned severely and freely from the start,
if one wishes a hedge and not merely a row of over-
crowded trees.

EVERGREENS: Many gardeners who prune their
other plants freely enough seem to be afraid to touch
an evergreen, and the result is that one frequently sees
misshapen specimens which could have been made sym-
metrical if they had been taken in time. Even if the
top or leader of an evergreen is cut out, a new one will
take its place and in a few seasons can hardly be dis-
tinguished, without careful examination, from the orig-

29

inal. This is also true of the side branches, and this
fact can be used to good advantage by pinching off the
leaders of over vigorous branches to stimulate the
growth of the less vigorous. The growth of the stronger
branches is not injured, as a new leader will take the
place of the one pinched out.

SHADE TREES: In setting out ornamental and
shade trees they should be treated during the first few
years, very much as young fruit trees. In building up
the skeleton which is to form the frame work of the
future tree one should be careful to study the plant-
form or natural habit of mature trees of the same variety,
in order to know definitely what to plan for.

When the tree has once become well established, and
approaches maturity, it will need very little attention
in the way of annual pruning; but injured limbs should
be carefully removed and all trees should be looked
over carefully once a year, and given any attention in
the matter of pruning, etc., that they may need.

HARDY VINES: The ornamental or flowering vines
come under the same rule as the ornamental shrubs,—
that is, those which flower from buds produced the
previous season should be pruned immediately after
flowering, and the others during early spring. For
instance, Wistaria and Clematis Jackmanii should be
pruned after flowering, while Bignonia and Clematis
Paniculata may be pruned in the spring. The hardy
vines need very little pruning except such as may be
needed in training them to trellises, or into any desired
form, and the occasional cutting out to the ground of
old stems or stalks, to make room for vigorous new
growth.

30

Pruning Fruit Trees,
Dwarf Fruits and Trained Fruits

The Care of Young Trees and the
Rejuvenation of Old

HE pruning required by your fruit trees is of three
distinct types:
Pruning to form the young or growing tree.
Pruning to re-form old trees.
Pruning to keep the trees in vigor, health and good
bearing.

NN
SE
Bian

FIG, 7. FIG. 8.

Young fruit tree (peach) Young fruit tree (peach)
as dug at nursery. Prune headed back and pruned to
back roots to A-B. “‘whip’’ at time of planting.

“Head” is formed a year
later, similar to that in
Fig. 7.

PRUNING TO FORM THE GROWING TREE:
With the common fruit trees—apples, peach, pear, plum,
cherry, and quince—pruning should begin at the time
of planting. There are two methods, either one of which
may be employed at the start. The first is, cut the
newly set tree back to a “‘whip’’—that is, all the side
branches are cut off close to the main stem, leaving
not more than three buds on each stub. In addition
to this, the main stem is cut back from a quarter to a

31

third of its length. It may seem a crime to you to
sacrifice all this wood from your little trees, which
are none too big any way, but do not be tempted
not todo so. This method should be used with one year
old trees, and small slim trees.

The second method is to start the “head” of the tree
when it is set. Three of four of the best of the branches
are retained, but are cut back so that only from four
to eight buds are left on each. The main stem is cut
back to just above the uppermost of these selected

ACPO Hh pearses

aes ntutintiianeennsinemnen bLk tt
FIG. 10.

Young tree (apple) with Young tree (apple) after
head started at time of second pruning; each branch
planting ; branches evenly treated much as though it
distributed both up-and- were a young tree.

down and around trunk.

branches; and everything else is cut away clean to the
main stem. As this method determines the ultimate
form or shape of the tree, one must have a general idea
as to just what type of tree is wanted. If the head is to
be “‘low’’ the branches left should not be over two feet
from the ground for apples and cherries and pears; and
not over eighteen inches for peaches and plums. A
point of the utmost importance in selecting the branches
to be retained is to see that no two of them form a crotch
—that is, they must not spring from opposite each other
on the main stem. They should be distributed as evenly
as possible along the stem and around it. As the main

32

stem is cut back to the topmost branch saved, a half to
two-thirds of it is cut away—another seeming great sacri-
fice of wood which is, nevertheless, essential to success.
For fruit trees to be grown on the lawn or in the garden,
the “low” head is usually not desired. Therefore, the
limb selected to form the future head of the tree need be
only from two to three feet from the ground. The
second method of pruning is adapted for two or three
year old plants which, when received from the nursery,
have good limbs from which to select those which are
to be saved.

Early in the spring the year after planting, the second
pruning should be given. In the case of trees that were
cut back to whips (by the first method described above)
select four to six of the best branches to form the future
head, keeping in mind the points mentioned in the pre-
ceding paragraph. In the case of trees pruned by the
second method,—i. e., to begin to form the head at once,
—prune back the following spring one half of the new
growth on the branches left before, and from two to four
eyes on the side shoots. Remove back clean to the main
stem all surplus branches that are not wanted.

The third annual pruning for the trees that were
trimmed back to a whip, is to precede in the same man-
ner as during the second pruning for trees that were
trimmed to a head when set, as described in the pre-
ceding paragraph.

If the pruning for the first two or three seasons is
done thoroughly, little pruning will be required there-
after. Cut back from a third to a half of the new growth
each year, avoid making crotches; cut out intersecting
limbs; and save laterals or branches that will tend to
the formation or shape of the tree desired, according
to the general principles discussed under the head ““How
to Prune.”

PRUNING TO RE-FORM OLD TREES: In the
case of old trees, or fairly young trees that have been
neglected, it is often necessary literally to cut away
the whole top of the tree. The mistake is often made of
trying to do this all at one pruning. The correct method
is to cut away at first all the new young growth and
sprouts except the comparatively few selected to make

33

the new limbs or the framework. Then about a third
of the old limbs should be removed or sawed off, just
beyond the point from which these new leaders spring,
the work being done with great care as described under
“Pruning in the Rose Garden.” In the succeeding year
or two years, the rest of the old limbs may be removed,
and the new growth handled in the same way, as that on
a new growing tree.

The general pruning of fruit trees which have been
established, to keep them in vigorous growth and
good bearing, is merely an application of the principles
which we have already described. The different fruits
vary a good deal in the amount and the kind of pruning
they require, and their needs and how to meet them
will be given in the following brief suggestions:

APPLES: Most varieties are of vigorous growth
and need some pruning every year. Remove all super-
fluous growth in the middle and the top,which would tend
to make the tree too tall or thick and bushy; do not cut
off close side limbs on main branches, as they sacrifice
fruiting wood, and leave the limbs, which gradually
grow in length, bare.

PEACH: Aim to keep a low open-headed tree by
thinning out interior growth. Winter injured wood and
fruit buds may be cut back in early spring. More
heading-in will be required on strong soil. Dead wood
and weak wood, particularly in the summer, should be
kept removed.

PEAR: Most varieties tend to grow in an upright
condensed form and should be lightly thinned out every
spring, cutting above strong outside buds where possible.
Avoid heavy cutting back however. Keep new growths
removed from main trunk and lower main limbs, so that
in case of an attack by fire blight the infested portions
can be cut away.

CHERRY: After the frame work of the tree is once
formed, only slight pruning is needed. Most varieties
are subjected to injurious cracks caused by sun and wind.
If the top is kept low and spreading this will be to a
large extent prevented. Fruit bearing is little affected
by pruning, and as the trees do not tend to “run away”
as pear trees do, the only pruning required after the

34

trees are once established will be to keep them in health
and good form.

PLUM: Little pruning is required; the trees may be
set closer together however, if they are headed back
each year. A third to a half or more of the season’s
growth may be removed with little or no effect on the
amount of fruit that will be produced the next season,
peu the trees, of course, will have a much more regular
orm.

QUINCE: Quinces on good soil make vigorous
growth and the older wood should be kept thinned out
every one or two years. Avoid cutting back all new
ae at one time, however, as the result will be little
ruit.

PRUNING DWARF anpd TRAINED FRUITS:
The amount of space available and other local con-
ditions will determine whether you want to grow the
trees in their regular form or train them near a wall or
upon a trellis. In the latter case, the growth is induced
to take a lateral form, as far as possible. Even with
dwarfs the results will depend very largely upon the
thoroughness with which the pruning is done, especially
in the early stages of growth. To induce pyramidal
form of growth, which is usually the best for dwarf
trees it is necessary to cut back the main shoots or
“leaders” quite low down thus inducing the more vig-
orous growth of the side branches, and leaving the tree
at first with an open center. At the time of planting
they should be shortened back about one-third in the
usual way, and as soon as they become established the
centers should be cut back to a height of ten to twenty
inches. If vigorous growth is made, these side branches
should be headed in, leaving four or five shoots on each.
These will, of course, tend to an upright position in
making their growth. The following spring these shoots
should be cut back severely—half will not be too much
if they have made a vigorous growth—and in case they
should be too thick remove some of the side branches
from which they sprout. This severe pruning should be
continued for three or four years and the shoots should
be gone over annually, early in the summer. All branches
that crowd or cross should be cut out, and all those

35

that seem to be making too vigorous growth should be
headed back in order that the tree may be kept sym-
metrical. For best results in the fruit there should be
free access of air and sunlight to all parts of the tree.
Each spring the annual growth of the year before should
be cut back a third or more, as may be required to keep
the trees in shape and as small as desired.

Where the trees are to be trained. upon the trellis,
a somewhat different system has to be used. In the
first place they should be planted almost directly under
it, that is so that the main trunk will grow close to the
wires and not several inches away. After planting,
when growth starts, the main trunk should be cut off
a few inches above the first wire and three buds allowed
to develop. One of these is trained along the wire on
either side of the trunk and the third encouraged to make
an upright growth as far as the next wire, where the
same process is used; that is, three buds are left here,
two of which are trained in either direction on the second
wire, and the third bud which should be preferably
on the opposite side of the trunk from the one below it,
up to the third wire, etc. The shoots which start from
the lateral branches should be kept cut back to four
or five inches, saving only one out of every two or three
so they will not be too close together. Every spring,
as soon as the buds are well started, all those which
are not desired should be rubbed off before they make
any considerable growth, as this is not only very much
easier but also saves the strength of the tree for the
growth which is retained.

36

Pruning Small Fruits

Neglect in Pruning Causes Inferior Quality
and Small Yields; How To Get the
Best Results

T is a true but asad fact that plants which do not

have to be coddled and looked after by the gardener

in order to live at all, are likely to be neglected
altogether.

Only too often this is the case with the small fruits.
Being able to survive neglect and still produce annually
small crops of under size and poor quality fruits, they
are left to themselves, particularly so far as pruning is
concerned, when a few hours attention a year with
a good sharp pair of shears would double the quantity
and more than double the quality of their yield.

GRAPES: The pruning of the grape is much more
complicated than that of the other small fruits. The
general confusion which exists in connection with
pruning grapes is due to the fact that there are two
different things to be accomplished: first, training; and
in addition to that, pruning to get the best fruit.

To begin at the beginning, the vine when first set
out should be pruned back even more severely than
fruit trees, leaving the stub with one to three eyes.
The roots of the plant will be much longer and more
scraggly than those of a fruit tree and should be cut
back, when received from the nursery, about a half.
If there are roots above the real stem or base of the
plant, they should be cut off close to the cane.

The subsequent pruning will depend primarily upon
the method of training which is to be followed. If the
plants are to be grown over an arbor or a trellis, or
against a wall, the main cane or canes may be trained
up in any way desired. Where a number of plants are
to be grown in the garden primarily for the fruit, the
method known as the modified Kniffin System is pref-
erable. A stout wire is stretched five or six feet above
the ground and the main stem or cane runs up to it,

37

and the laterals are trained along it. Another method is
to have two or three horizontal wires at intervals of
eighteen inches to three feet. Whatever system of
training is used the general principles of pruning are the
same, as follows: There are two main facts which
must be constantly kept in mind in pruning grapes:
the first is that the fruit is borne only on shoots of the cur-
rent year's growth, springing from wood or canes of the
previous year's growth; the other is that the grape vine,
under culture, naturally attempts to produce several
times the number of bunches that it can fully mature.
This being the case, to get well ripened and large grapes
every year you should prune as follows:

First PrunING: When planting cut back from two
to three eyes, and when these sprout train up the one
or two strongest to the support provided, removing the
others.

SECOND PruninG: The following spring, in February
or March, leave only the best cane and cut back to three
or four eyes.

TuirD PruninG: At the point of the first support
save only two canes; train these along the support;
and remove all others. These ‘‘arms,’”’ branching from
the main stem, furnish the frame from which the next
season’s bearing shoots will grow.

FourTH PRUNING: The second spring, in February
or March, cut these arms to eight or ten buds, for
otherwise altogether too much fruit would set. The
shoots which will sprout from these in the early
spring are allowed to hang down instead of being tied
to a support, and on these the fruit is produced.

FirtH Pruninc: In the third spring, February or
March, of the new canes on the arms trained to each
wire of the trellis, only the two nearest the main trunk
are saved. These are cut back to six to ten buds each;
everything else should be cut away clean. The new
canes are then tied to the wire.

SixTH PRuninc: A similar pruning should be¥given
every winter or in the succeeding spring, except that
every two or three years two new canes from the main
trunk may be saved at each wire, so that the old “arms,”

38

which are gradually getting too long, may be removed.
These new canes are then handled in the same way as
the ones which they are to replace.

For vines growing over an arbor or a tree, where the
above system cannot be practiced, cut back all the
laterals to within three or four buds of the main vine
or vines, every winter or early spring.

In addition to this pruning, during the growing
season all buds that start from the main vine and
branches should be rubbed off.

CURRANTS anp GOOSEBERRIES

Currants are usually grown in the bush form, although
they can be trained to other shapes. Currants and goose-
berries fruit on wood that is two or three years old, but
the first two or three crops are by far the best. You
should aim, therefore, to keep the plants sufficiently
open so that there is plenty of light, air, and sunshine,
and so that the plant will not attempt to bear too much,
with the result that what there is will be of the best.
Secondly, plan to keep it constantly renewed. To do
this, in pruning currants, cut out each year some of the
old hard wood, and all the new growth except that
wanted to replace the old that is removed. Thin suf-
ficiently to keep the plant well open, and of course,
remove all the shoots that are dead and those attacked
by the borer. If the new growths are cut back during
late summer they will ripen up better; and a general
light heading back may be given to keep the whole
plant is good shape. The 4/ack currant does not need
to be renewed as frequently; and, making a much
heavier growth, can be developed into the tree form.
Shoots attacked by the borer usually have a wilted
appearance and should be cut and burnt at once.

The gooseberry is pruned in the same way as the
currant except that it is not necessary to renew the wood
as frequently, and care should be taken to keep the plant
from becoming crowded, as this increases the danger
of the dreaded mildew. Do not prune, however, so that
the fruit will be exposed to direct sunshine. Heading
in the new growth during summer will help prevent

39

having too much fruit set near the top of the plant.
Cut off all branches which droop to the ground.

THE CANE FRUITS
BLACKBERRIES, DEWBERRIES, RASPBERRIES, ETC.

At the time of planting, the cane fruits should be cut
back to six to ten inches; the smaller the variety or the
plant the less growth should be left. The subsequent
pruning will depend upon the variety, and also upon the
method of support, but in general the following prin-

/

FIG, 11. FIG. 12.

Cane fruit (raspberry) Cane fruit eapbery
correctly pruned, ample poorly pruned, Small yield,
bearing surface strongly and in need of support.
supported.

ciples should be observed: The cane fruits bear on the
growth of the previous season. The first things to re-
member then is cut out old canes as soon as they have
fruited. This is better done as soon as possible after the
crop is picked, though it may be deferred to fall or
winter. Most varieties are over prolific in the pro-
duction of new canes, and all but four or five should be
cut out to the ground. Those saved for fruiting next
year should, if they are to support themselves, be cut

40

back when three to five feet high. If they are supported
they can make full growth and be cut back in the spring.
Many varieties, especially most of the black rasp-
berries or “‘black caps,’’ fruit on the lateral or side
shoots thrown out by the main canes, and these should
be pruned back a third to a half early in the spring.

To sum up, in pruning the cane fruits: First, cut out
old canes as soon as they have fruited; second, cut out
down to the ground all but four or five of the new canes,
the earlier the better; third, cut back the new canes and
their side shoots a third or so in the winter or early
spring.

41

Definitions

Horticultural Definitions of a Few
Garden Words

SLIGHT misunderstanding of garden words that
Ae in everyday use may lead to confusion and

misinterpretation. Following are horticultural
definitions of garden words in common use:

ANNUAL—An annual is a plant that grows from seed, and dies
root and branch with the perfection of its seed, all within the one
period of growth. Practically and in garden use, however, many
plants that are not annuals but which are treated as annuals inas-
much as they may be raised from seed and brought to flower within
the year, are included in this group. Salvia, for instance, which is
actually a perennial, is killed on the approach of frost.

BIENNIAL—A plant that takes two years to attain maturity.
One that devotes its energies in the first year to the production of
a plant from the seed and after one resting period (winter) starts
into growth again for the purpose of producing flower and seed—
and then dies. Some biennials, if started early enough in spring,
will Biodice flowers late that same season, and so behave as garden
annuals,

PERENNIAL—A plant that may live indefinitely. A plant that
does not die after producing its seed, and in which the death of the
flowering axis causes the development of offsets, and through the
increase or spread of a plant, continues to live many years.

HERBACEOUS—A plant that does not make woody tissue. Hence
a herbaceous perennial is a plant that makes a succulent growth
each year and which, never becoming woody, dies down. The root
in sucha plant persists and carries on the life. Everything that dies
down in winter and comes up again the following season, is a her-
baceous perennial. A hardy perennial is merely an expression of
relative hardiness in the climate in which the plant is grown.

HARDY—Meaning that the plant can endure the winter weather con-
ditions under which it finds itself. A plant may be hardy or not
hardy within a very short range, according to exposure, soil
conditions, drainage, etc.

TREE—A woody perennial that arises from the ground on a single
trunk or stem, thus differing from a shrub.

SHRUB—A woody perennial that arises from the ground by means
of more than one stem from the root. According to the environ-
ments some plants may vary between different classifications. Thus
the Summer Lilac (Buddleia), in the North, is regarded as a
hardy herbaceous perennial; in the South, it becomes in practice
a shrub. Another instance of a popular plant on the border line
is Bush Clover (Lespedeza).

42

Around the Year with the
Pruning Shears

Seasonable Work That Will Keep the Place Ship-
shape and Give Better Fruits and Flowers

HE following brief suggestions or “reminders” are meant
merely as hints to show you what to look for from month
to month to do with your pruning shears. Directions for the
work have already been given in the preceding chapters.
JANUARY-FEBRUARY: Winter or dormant pruning of fruit trees
and large trees, especially removing dead and surplus wood, and
reforming over-grown tops. Currants, gooseberries and grapes.
MARCH: Any of the above; grapes before sap starts. Shrubs and
vines that flower on current year’s growth. Hybrid perpetual and
Rugosa roses.
APRIL: Any of the above except grapes. Hybrid teas and tea
roses, as soon as the buds start.
May: Cut out winter-killed wood of all kinds. Prune earliest
flowering shrubs as soon as they go by.
JuNE: Early flowering shrubs as soon as they go by. Keep un-
desirable new growth on young grapes and fruit trees rubbed off.
Head in and shape young growing trees.
Head in and guide, as necessary, trained fruits.
Pinch in the evergreens to get symmetrical development.
Trim or shear hedges, and formal-shaped shrubs and trees.
Cut or pinch back annuals and perennials to get more branching
plants, or second growth.
Thin or disbud annuals and perennials to get larger flowers.
JULY-AUGUST: Any of the above.
Also prune hardy climbing roses when through flowering.
Cane Fruits when through bearing.
SEPTEMBER: As above.
Also head in strong new growth on both fruits and ornamentals,
to induce better “‘ripening up’’ of the wood before winter.
OCTOBER: Get ready for winter; cut back rampant growths of
canes, fruits, roses, etc.
NOVEMBER-DECEMBER: Winter or dormant pruning, especially of
fruit trees, late flowering shrubs, etc.

43

Pruning Equipment

How to Select Good Pruning Shears
and Their Care

RUNING with dull tools is a thankless task—hard on both the
garden and the gardener. The same work done with good tools
is a pleasure and leaves smooth, clean cuts that look neat and

heal quickly. One can hardly emphasize the importance of having
efficient, sharp pruning shears as strongly as it should be emphasized.
They make all the difference in the world between good work and
bungling work; and hard work and pleasure.

Now as to the equipment necessary. It need not be either extensive
or expensive. The first and most important item is a good pair ot
pruning shears, With them, and your fingers, you can do probably
ninety per cent of the pruning to be done in your garden and about
your grounds. With ordinary good care they will last for years.
Therefore, get the best shears you can buy.

Here are the points to look for in a good pair of shears: (1)
EFFICIENCY; correct design, so that you can get a quick, clean, smooth
cut with a minimum of effort; (2) Goop MATERIAL; insuring a long-
lasting cutting edge, and protection from rust—a rusty blade, even
if sharp, means poor work and blistered hands; (3) ApJUSTING
Device; the best of shears will ‘‘work loose” with wear, and unless
the blades can be kept tight against each other they will not do good
work, no matter how sharp and clean; the best shears have a ratchet
nut by which they can be kept perfectly tight; (4) CONVENIENCE;
select shears with a spring that can’t come out; and with handles
that cannot close upon and pinch the fingers. See that the shears you
buy come up to these tests, and you will get pruning-shear satisfaction.

In all but the smallest of gardens I would strongly advocate the use
of two pairs of shears; a large 9-inch pair for regular heavy work,
and a smaller 6-inch pair to be carried about constantly for every
day use and the little jobs which would be forgotten if not attended
to “‘on the spot” when they are seen. The shears that I use most are
six inches long and weigh four ounces. The fact that they were sold
as ‘Ladies’ Rose Shears,” or something of that sort does not make
them less useful. They can be carried about in a hip pocket or an
apron—never in the way—but always available!

All pruning tools should be kept in a dry place, and always rubbed
with rust-protecting oi! or kerosene after being used. This is not alone
for looks, but is essential to good work. All joints and pivots, and
springs should be kept well oiled. The cutting blades should be kept
sharp, and free from nicks.

Keep your pruning tools in good condition and your pruning will
take care of itself!

44

How to Get the Right Shears

_ Knowing the kind of shears to get is equally as important as know-
ing when and how to use them. This book would fall short in giving
practical pruning service if it did not tell you the exact kind of prun-
ing shear to get, where to get it and how to recognize it.

Therefore, in this division of the book you will find just the sort
of shear information that will assist you in making practical use of
the pruning directions given on the foregoing pages.

Tool making is an art which dates back to the early centuries. By
skill in the making and skill in the using, mechanics’ tools have
reached a wonderful degree of perfection. Much tool history during
the last 106 years has been written in the name of ‘‘Pexto.”’ This
trade name was adopted many years ago by The Peck, Stow & Wilcox
Company, Southington, Conn., and Cleveland, Ohio. It covers a
complete line of mechanics’ tools and represents the highest quality
in each kind.

In PEXTO Pruning Shears you will get the result of nearly a
century of tool making experience. You'll realize the good points
of Pexto Shears the first time you try them but you'll appreciate all
the finer points with continued use. The following short description
will assist you in selecting the right kinds for your purposes.

PEXTO No. R 85—9”

HIS is PEXTO Swiss Pattern Pruning Shear, full polished,

] which originally became popular in the vineyards and rice

fields of this country, and later grew to general popularity

owing to its great strength, adaptability for heavy work, long usage,
and easy cutting qualities.

It is in every respect a high grade Pruning Shear, of unusual
quality, combining fine material, expert workmanship and correct
design. The blades are made from the best crucible steel, ground
convex and specially tempered.

This Shear has the regulating ratchet nut, longitudinal double
brass springs, and removable handle clip; in fact every desirable
feature for the user. It is highly recommended and fully guaran-

teed.
45

PEXTO No. R 165—9”

HIS is PEXTO California Pattern Pruning Shear which
has become extremely popular in the United States and
foreign countries.

The handles are somewhat lighter than the Swiss Pattern,
shown above, making it very desirable for home gardening.

It fits the hand perfectly, and with the double longitudinal brass
springs, operates freely. This style Shear is made from the very
best material with blades of best crucible steel, correctly tempered,
having long bevel which, with properly arched hook, makes it an
easy cutter.

This Shear has the regulating ratchet nut and an attached end
fastening clip, which cannot be lost or misplaced. It is full polished
and nickel plated, all excellent features in Pruning Shear construc-
tion. Fully guaranteed.

PEXTO No. R 170—9”

HIS Shear was especially designed for parties who like a good

size, wide blade, and is also made of the very best materials,

many people claiming that it cuts easier in their hands than
any other style they have ever used. For that reason, its popularity
continues to grow.

This style is made with a volute spring, which is also desired by
parties who lean to this particular style. It has the regulating
ratchet nut, end clip fastening arrangement, is full polished and
nickel plated.

Fully Guaranteed.

46

PEXTO No.14—6”-Ladies Pruning Shear
Also styled Rose Shear

HIS is a very attractive and desirable little Shear to have

in your home; especially adapted for trimming roses and

other flowers in the garden, as well as light branches of any
description.

It is made of the best quality steel, properly tempered, full
polished and nickel plated. It has a volute style spring, which is
exactly proper for a Shear of this nature.

The long bevel of blade and properly arched hook in this Shear
as well as the other features mentioned above, make it an easy and
clean cutter.

A pair of these will save the scissors, which have often been
spoiled in trimming rose vines and bushes.

This Shear is fully guaranteed.

What the Regulating Ratchet Nut ona
Pair of Pruning Shears Means
to Your Satisfaction

LADES and handles of a cutting instrument held together
by a bolt and nut will eventually work loose. At first,
adjustment can be made by tightening the nut, but use
loosens it again and in time the blades will again work apart. A
ratchet-nut, however, is tightened when wear is evident, and the
pawl slipped a notch or two ahead of the original notch. Thus the
blades are always held in close and firm adjustment.
The ratchet pattern pruning shear is always worth the small
difference in price over the ordinary bolt and nut type.
In using pruning shears, remember that they are not intended to

cut hard or dry wood. =

Where You Will Find PEXTO

Pruning Shears

EST hardware dealers
the country over are
familiar with this

trade name. Your dealer
no doubt will have many
kinds of PEXTO House-
hold Tools besides the
Pruning Shears.

Look for the display il-
lustrated at right. You
can’t miss it. It shows
several other styles of
shears in addition to those
described in this book.

There are shears for every
purpose shown on this display,

at prices to suit. Look for the
“PEXTO” Stamp on Pruning

Shears and on the household Mate y THE PEER, STOW 5 WitCOX CO
tools you buy. It isa ‘“‘safe- SovTwineTon few CLEVELAND OM1O NEW YORK KE

ty first’ mark of every tool
purchaser.

Conclusion
A Word to the Wise Gardener

If you want bigger flowers;

If you want more glorious roses;

If you want finer fruits;

If you want neater hedges, and more attractive grounds;

If you want a more va/uable home—for appearances go a great
way in fixing the market value of a place;

If these things seem to you worthwhile;—why then its up to
you to be Johnny-on-the-spot when it comes to pruning !

Begin now—the season of the year is a secondary matter. Do
what can be done this month, this week, to get your place into
shape. If it has been neglected in the matter of pruning, you will
find that your efforts will make more difference in the general looks
of things than anything else you ever did, next to painting the
house. And the pruning will cost you but a few dollars at most.
After you get the few simple tools needed, it will cost nothing but
the pleasurable effort of doing it.

Hie you, therefore, if you are still one of the benighted, to the
nearest good hardware store, and get the things you may need to
start the campaign. be