Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1874-12-11
Pruning-why and When We Do 1t.

Ah""S Why anu Vheh We DV i"
THERE is great diversity of opinion
among horticulturists upon the subject
of pruning. All are agreed as to the
necessity of this labor, but in the ques-
ton of time and amount of pruning
necessary, and as to the manner in which
it shall be done, there are wide differ
ences of opinion. This Is not surprising
There are differences in soil and climate,
in the conditions of the soil and temper
ature, even on the smallest farms. For
these reasons, if not for others that might
be mentioned, the individual cultivator
must study the plants to be pruned, and
decide for himself as to the manner of
doing the work. as well as the proper
time of doing it.
There are three principal reasons why
we prune, and here nearly every practi-
cal man will agree. We prune for wood,
prune for fruit, or we prune for
symmetry of shape. There is also a
pretty general agreement that we prune
to induce wood growth between the
falling of the leaves and their reap
| pearance, and that we prune In the
summer to induce the formation of
| fruit spurs. 1t must be evident that
when we prune for symmetry it must be
done both In winter and in summer; in
the winter, to bring the tree into the
general shape we require, and In the
summer to check the superabundant
| growth in any particular direction. The
summer pruning should be principally
| confined to shortening rampant growth,
and, if attended to in season, may be
mostly, if not entirely, done with the
thumb and finger. 1t must be admitted,
however, that there are but few persons
1 =.
can distinguish accurately where and
how to pinch while yet the wood is so
tender that it may be nipped with the
thumb nail and finger.
The natural inclination of the sap is to
reach the extremity of the branches and
the more upright these are the more this
flow to the extremity is induced This
is, undoubtedly, one of the reasons why
| upright-growing trees, like the Northern
Spy, are long in coming into bearing
and for this reason bending the branches
to make them pendent, ringing and
twisting, root-pruning in fact, anything
which has the effect to check the flow of
the sap during the growing season-tends
to change the leaf-buds into fruit-buds.
For this reason trees having attained a
proper size are often thrown into fruit
from the occurrence of a very dry season,
and if the later summer and autumn con-
tinue dry these buds are kept dormant
and thus are enabled to stand far great
er degree of cold during the succeeding
winter than if the reverse were the case.
The peach, nectarine, apricot and other
members of the peach family have an es-
pecial characteristic in the prolongation
of the stems, from the flow of sap toward
the terminal buds. Hence, a shortening
in of the branches not only tends ia
equalize the sap and TO force the buds
along the branches, thus checking the
sap and inducing fruitfulness, but it also
keeps the tree in shape by clothing il
more uniformly with leaves than would
otherwise be the case.
In pruning for fruit, therefore, we
must bear in mind that anything which
will tend to check the flow of sap and
produce a uniform and regular dis
tribution will tend to the production OF
fruit. AS an aid toward this end we
have mentioned bending down the tips
of the branches, disbarking, ringing, etc
The two latter are not to be recon-
mended unless fruitfulness is desired in
order to test peculiar fruit, and, ever
then, the fruit SO produced will be nc
close indication of its real merits, except
to one conveIsant with pomology
We have always held, and still hold
that, in the West, all that is necessary
for the orchardist is, so to prune that the
, tree may take its natural form; the
principal efforts of the operator being
directed to the removal of weak anC
crowded branches. One of our frs
lessons in pruning was given US by al
, "Ohio Dutchman who removed to Hi
nois many years ago. He said: "Tak'
; out all uprights, downrights and cross
rights" 1t Immediately occurred to ou
mind, what would there be leftS and W,
asked the question. After going into
brown study for short time, III
) answered: "Dot ish sho-but the up
1 rights won't bear fruit, the crossright
5 gall each other and the downrights lool
l bad And" he added after. u little farthe
2 thought, anyway, you must keep tn,
l head open to let in the sun, else the frui
, can't ripen." Here lies the great mis-
, take of Western farmers who follow tn,
. books and the way stereotyped in tn,
1 minds of those who pin their faith OF
: English authority, or those boOk-maker
S who have compiled from these authori
t ties.
{ The real facts are that, in the West
the thicker the head the better the tree
, and consequently the fruit. In England
pruning which would seem excessive Il
US is admissible, since the temperatur
is cool and the seasons are moist On tn
! seacoast of the United States the sam
! conditions are prevalent, but in a modi
fed form. Nevertheless, severe pruning
is not practiced to such an extent as for
3 merly, and in the seaboard States the,
. conform their standard, measurably, 4
. the practice of the hest cultivators in tn
! West. 1t is mistake that the fruit mus
be borne in the sun to be perfect Tn
! best fruit is really ripened on such tree
as have abundant foliage, and consG
e quently where the fruit is shaded. Tn
, leaves are the evaporating and elaborat
ing organs of the plant, and the NOR
( leaves plant can carry, each having it
In fact, severe pruning is always fol
lowed by an effort on the part of the tre