Los Angeles daily herald., 1884-11-09
rr1u aIOxk BrRD.
Pruning.

How the notion that trees require sever,
pruning every year. To keep them Ia good
condition, should prevail so extensively Is q
mystery It must have had Its origin In tn,
same mental labor that gave birth to the no
tlon, equally as prevalent forty years ago
that an annual dosing with salts calomel
sulphur or sassafras tea was necessary to
keep the human system In order. II is not
| founded on any just notion of the function
OF the roots, branches and leaves. for these
are ms necessary TO the health Of the trees as
the stomach aud lungs are to that Of the hn-
man body. We might as well destroy one
| a. the other. Nine out OF ten OF the orchards
| that are twenty years old show signs OF pre-.
mature decay. The trunks look old and
moss eaten; the limbs are weary and debill.
| titcd, and look as II ready to drop Off from
| sheer usclcssncss.
The owners tell us that trees will not live
ns long here as In the eastern States. Why
not2 The owners allcge oyerbearing as one
thing; trees grow so much faster" ns
another, though why these should necessi
tate, Justify or excuse the cutting away OF
one half or twothirds Of the foliage Is not
explained. Every Winter the pruning fend,
armed with ladder and huge shears. travels
around from orchard to orchard for a job.
He wants to cut away the long, graceful,
dropping limbs that constitute, not only the
beauty and glory 0f an orchard, but It's use
fitness as well. When child the writer
read story of some sailors who had been
Obliged to take to the small-boat to
save their lives. Finding the boat
oyerlnden they cast lots to see who
should be thrown overheard One of the
victims after being thrown into the water
swan for some distance by the side of the
boat, and yentured TO put his hands on 1t MS
II to chamber In, when sailor struck his
hands OF with hatchet, but the man still
managed TO keep up and held up the bleed
ing stumps Of his arms. The sailors moved
by pity, resolved to save the man and took
him aboard and bound up his arms, soon
after which vessel came In sight and saved
them all. The bleeding stumps of the trees,
mutilated by the professional or amateur
pruncr, always brings the story to my mind,
but the parallelism ends here, forthere is no
relief for tree once butchered. Generally
the stumps Of the limbs commence
to rot the decay often extending down the
entire trnnk. Apple and pear trees treated
that way have u premature old age, as do
peach trees. II Is probable that the disease
called curled leaf is intensified by the ex
| cessive pruning, which leaves the sap pro
dncing or feeding vessels in excess Of the
| digestive part of the tree. Cherry trees thus
pruned are liable to die suddenly, as II
blasted, or II they live, have dead limbs and
gum excrcscenccs which destroy the beauty
aud usefulness.
| Pruning on general principals is all
wrong; pruning for shape, II done when the
tree is young especially II only small limb,
are cut away, is well enough
II Is still greater folly to prune to prevent
bearing. Thinning out the fruit Is mucl
better. In many orchards three.fourths tina
Is set should come oil. After the fruit be
gins to grow 1t should be thinned out 81
that the leaves hide what Is left 1t Is bat
| farming to leave so much that the tree re
quires propping. Let the trees grow. Thel
| know what they are about. You can assis
them by cutting away the useless limbs
The tree itself commences the work by en-
larging around the limb to be cxcised, show
ing nn evident design of choking 1t to death
That Is the way the native forests do tn,
work. The tallest pines and cedars have n,
bira Independent