The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1879-03-26
FARM, GARDEN AND HOUSEHOLD.
Pruning.

FARM, GARDEN AND HOUSEHOLD.
Pruning.
The season is now at hand for com
mencing garden operations, and the first
in order is that of pruning. Most
shrubs only require to be thinned of If,
regular, struggling branches, or of the
suckers which spring up from the roots.
Such shrubs as bear flowers op the last
years growth should be pruned back
but very little, as otherwise they could
produce but few flowers. OF this class
are lilacs, syringas, spir@as, viburnums,
calycanthus, hydrangeas, deutzias, mag
nolias, rhododendrons and azaleas.
Shrubs such as the alth@a and roses,
which bear flowers on wood OF this sea-
sons growth, should have last years
growth we'll cut back, say to within
three or four inches of the old wood.
Roses should have the short wood of
last years growth cut back to two or
three buds, and the long shoots short
ened from one-third to one.half their
length all wood OF over two years
growth should be entirely cut out, as it
never produces fine blooms. Honey
suckles are generally allowed to become
too crowded in their growth they will
bear good deal of thinning out, and
last years growth should be pruned
back to within an inch or two of the
main stems. If they have from neglect
become naked at the bottom, and only
Towering at the top of the trellis, one
half OF the main stems should be cut
back to within q foot OF the ground !;
this will cause new growth OF young
shoots to fill up the vacancy. Wistarias
should have last years growth shorten
ed back so as to leave only four to six
inches of it. unless they are new running
stems and it is desirable to retain them !:
they may, however, be shortened back
one. third their length. Ampelopsis
Virginia creeper), bignonia (trumpet
creeper), and aristolochia (Dutchman's
pipe) only require the cutting back of
the swinging foreright shoots, 30 as to
give them neat, tidy appearance.
Akebia and clematis scarcely require
any pruning, all that is needed being to
cut out any interfering growth that can
not be laid in on the trellis without
overcrowding.
In pruning fruit trees reference must
of course be had to the kinds, their mode
of growth and of bearing. Many people
think that all the interior branches
must be cut out, to give, as they sup
pose, plenty of light and air to the CEN
ter OF the tree. This is nearly always
carried to an extreme, and the conse-
quence is that the weight of the foliage
and fruit is thrown upon the outer ends
of the branches, so that in high winds
or rain.storms they are broken off at the
trunk, to the eventual destruction of
the tree. Large branches should never
be cut off if it can possibly be avoided;
when it is absolutely necessary to do 80,
they should be cut off close to the trunk,
without leaving any snags, and the
wound should be covered with grating
wax or some similar composition to keep
out the weather. Apple, pear, cherry
and plum trees bear fruit en- spurs, and
care must be had not to cut them off;
the young growth upon which the spurs
are not yet formed should only be short
ened back about one-third OF its length,
as a rule, for, if shortened more than
that, the whole energy of the tree will
be expended in producing new shoots
instead of spurs. Quince trees produce
their fruit on spurs which throw out
long shoots, on the ends of which the
fruit is carried; the fruit. bearing shoots
of the previous year should be short
ened back to only two or three eyes, in
order to produce new shoots for next
years fruiting. Pruning peach trees
should be delayed until the buds begin
to swell, as then the fruit buds can be
distinguished from the leaf buds. Very
little pruning is required by peach trees
beyond shortening the previous years
growth and cutting out any dead wood.
It is especially desirable to keep them
compact in shape, as the weight OF the
fruit on the ends of long branches
causes them to split off or break. Every
care must beIhad to so prune them as to
keep the interior of the tree supplied
with young bearing wood, and this is
done by shortening back the shoots
sufficiently to cause the buds at the base
of the shoot to break and form new
shoots; shortening back about one.half
will be sufficient.
There are two systems employed in
pruning the grapevine one is called
the spur system, and the other the long
cane system. In the first the leading
cane is cut back to three or four feet,
according to it's strength; the terminal
bud continues the length of the cane,
and should not be allowed to bear fruit;
the buds below will throw out lateral
shoots which will produce fruit; these
are pruned back the next season to two
or three eyes, which again produce
fruit, the leader being shortened back
as before, and so year after year. In
the long cane system the canes are pro-
duced by pruning back to within two
eyes of the main stem, and when they
have made years growth, leaving the
strongest cane to bear fruit, but short.
ening it back to three or four feet, and
letting the weakest cane make seasons
growth, and then pruning it back to
three or four feet the succeeding year,
and cutting back the it-bearing cane
to one eye to produce another cane, and
so alternately. The spur system pro-
duces the most fruit, the long cane
system the largest punches.
The currant and the gooseberry main
ly produce their fruit on wood that is
two or three years old. After branch
has produced two or three crops of fruit
it should be cut out and a younger one
be allowed to take its place. All the
pruning they require is to cut out old
wood, shorten the younger shoots, and
remove any suckers and roots that are
likely to make too crowded head, as
they should be so pruned and trained as
to give them plenty of air and light.
Raspberries only require the removal Of
the shoots that bore fruit last season,
and the shortening back OF the last
years growth one-half to one-third it's
length, according to the strength of the
shoots. Blackberries require the same
treatment.
All pruning should be done with a
knife or with pruning-shears,
but never with hedge shears every
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