The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1901-04-13
Pruning Trees.


Many inquiries are made regarding
the proper time for pruning trees or
shurbs, both ornamental and fruiting.
1t is impossible to answer except in a
general way, as the individuals to lie
treated must be each one considered.
Where considerable pruning is to be
done, the need for practical man
with plenty of experience and q
knowledge of all kinds of trees is evil
dent
In the case of fruit trees, it may be
necessary to thin out the branches to
permit the free circulation Of air and
light-very essential things to strong,
healthy growth. Such pruning is done
in the winter, any time after the
leaves have fallen, though wounds will
probably heal with greater ease il
made towards spring. A careful paint
ing of the wounds, however, makes it
safe earlier. Should the growth of the
trees be too struggling. they should be
pruned lightly during the early sum-
mer, while the sap is active and
growth is being made. At the same
time, it will encourage the production
of fruit buds, which are set on short
spurs.
AS regards the ornamental trees, the
same rule will apply to the thinning
out of branches; the weaker ones are,
of course, to be removed, allowing the
strong ones to remain. If they are 20
be put into shape, probably a little
pruning in winter and little more in
May or June, when growth is resumed,
would bring about the desired results.
The Towering trees and shrubs must
be pruned according to their respective
characters. If it is desirable to retain
Towering buds for the first season,
most early-blooming plants should not
be pruned very much until after they
have bloomed, as the Towering buds
are formed the season previous. OF
course, a thinning out will do no harm
in this respect, and will give much
more strength to the remaining
branches.
One correspondent asks If the end Of
March Is too late to prune apple trees
in northern New York. Following the
above principles it would not be-in
fact, one could prune in any month il
1t is done judiciously with an under
standing of the results that would fol-
low.
It is practicable to remove the large
lower limbs from trees at any season
of the year. There might be an excep-
ton to removing them in the summer
time, provided the number of branches
removed is in excess of those remain
ing. This would tend to weaken the
trees very greatly. The most favor
able time for doing such work is in
the winter. II left until nearly spring
or early summer the wounds will heal
more readily, as while the sap is in
motion new bark is made at once. In
any event it is desirable to paint the
wounds with thick ordinary paint or
something that will keep out the air
and moisture until the new growth of
wood covers the wound.
Much error is diffused by the use Of
improper terms. A work on forestry,
before the writer, referring to attach
ment of labels or guards to trees, re-
marks that lit should be by copper
wire, which stretches as the tree ex-
pands." But there is no expansion Ut
a tree in a physical sense. A wave
flows over the sand by the sea shore,
but not by expansion Of the waters.
In like manner the new wood of trees
flows over the older wood, but this is
not expansion. If the wire attachment
to a label be loosely over a horizontal
branch, and yet SO firmly that it will
not be disturbed by the wind, the wire
will be covered by the new growth,
though there be plenty Of room in the
wire loop for expansion.-Meehan's
Monthly.