The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-05-22
PRUNING FRUIT TREES.
President 'Bucey's Views Before the
State Board OF Horticulture.

President -Bucey's Views Before tho
State Board OF Horticulture.
Northwest Agriculturist.
This subject, whenever and wherever
presented to horticulturists, finds many
conflicting and diversified opinions and
views. as to the proper manner Of pruning
fruit tree.
Therefore deem it proper that should
set forth certain conditions existing in
nature with most all fruit trees, and in
respect to these conditions / arrive at a
conclusion which have practiced with the
best results as to the proper method of
pruning fruit trees, and do not hesitate
to say that when practced by fruit-grow-
ers that they will adopt no other.
The stem or trunk and branches of tree
are structurally composed of minute cells
or tubes. 1t you cut a green stick from a
tree and let it season short time, you
will notice at the end where cut minute
cell or tube holes. The casual observer
will conclude at glance that these small
openings lead down as sap tubes, con-
tinuously until they reach the root of
the tree. But such is not the case, for
these tubes are very short, and have side
entrances from other cells, through their
cell walls. In this manner the sap ascends
from the root by force Of capillary attrac-
ton. and is distributed throughout the
body and branches of tree until it
reaches the leaf bud and the leaf of the
tree. when process of elaboration takes
place through the agency OF the leaves,
which brings the sap from the roots in
contact with the gases of the air. Here a
certain portion of the sap is evaporated,
the remainder through the influence and
aid of the gases form q mucilaginous
substance which after its formation
descends between the wood and inner bark
of the tree, this forming new growth of
wood and bark. The young leaves of a
tree have greater power OF elaboration
than Older leaves. Thus when fresh young
leaves are upon tree, the flow of sap is
more copious than when they are fully
matured. Hence the terminal buds and
leaves receive greater portion OF the sap
flow than others, and if not interrupted
greater growth will be made with the ter
minal shoots than side branches.
You undoubtedly have noticed in year
ling trees that they all have more or less
pith in the center of the main stem.
When tree starts to grow these little
cells and tubes commence to form from the
pith of the tree outward, consecutiveiy
adding to with each years growth
My observation is that the pith of young
tree is always greater proportionately
than in the older trees. and remarkably so.
A young plant is naturally more likely
to grow very thrifty the first year, and to
retain its growing condition until late in
the fall, and is thus likely to have liquid
water in the sap tubes when cold weather
sets in; if so, as soon as the exterior wood
fiber or cell wall begins to contract from
the cold, the liquid water is driven from
the outer cells through the partition en-
trance to the interior cells until it reaches
ho nit nf "a fran 10 tolr
up and held. If it freezes here it
does not injure the tree. But if the tree
of same age had been cut back In
the spring, until it had thrown out
numerous shoots, which had retained a
condition Of growth late in the fall, the
amount of water liquid found in such tree
when freezing weather comes on could not
be taken up in the pith of the tree, but a
portion Of it. after retreating as far as
possible, is caught and frozen in the sap
vessels of the tree; the result would
be that the sap vessels would burst
by the expansion OF the frozen
sap, and the cellular system by
which the sap ascends in the spring
would be either destroyed or greatly in
jured, and the tree would either die, or
would slowly decay at the heart and finally
die prematurely. AS proof of this the.
DRY you may cut limb from tree that is
hardy when the thermometer registers 20
degrees below zero; take silver from the
limb and you will not detect any appear
ance of Frost but it is as plant as if cut
before freezing took place. You split the
limb open and you will see the frost giis,en
in the pith of the limb, and there only,
Now back TO pruning
If you cut back young trees after thew
are set out each year and giving them good
cultivation. you will undoubtedly keep
trees growing very late In the fail, and II
the trees are growing in a climate where
the thermometer will register in the
neighborhood of zero. you run a great
risk of having your trees injured by the
sap freezing in the cells and your trees
killed or permanently injured by heart
rot setting in. By the method of cutting
back. you keep strong shoots growing and
terminal buds constantly expanding
during the growing season. Starting
with yearling tree. which should be q
straight shoot without side branches. nv
practice In pruning is: The spring before
growth commences cut it off about four
feet from the ground, when the buds ex-
pand upon this stem. / take hold of the
tree about eight inches from the top and rub
all the buds off below TO the ground. ieay.
ing those bads on this eight Inches of top
TO develop and form limbs. When these
limbs have grown about Is or 20 inches