The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1915-03-30
PRUNING SHADE TREES AND
SHRUBS.
A Knowledge OF the Habits Of the Trees
and Shrubs Essential.

The first step in pruning should be a
proper knowledge of the habits OF trees
and plants to be pruned, otherwise more
harm than good is the result OF this OPP
Grafton. Yet so many rush in, here, where
care and knowledge fear 10 tread, II a
few ornamental trees have been pur-
chased, for instance, they should be care
fully looked over before being planted
and all bruised or broken roots cut oil
up TO the sound wood. This prevents
their decaying and hastens the starting
of new roots and fibres The preparation
of the top consists in cutting back the
top and side branches in such a way as
to correspond with the more or less mu'
tilatcd roots; thus trees with branching
heads should have the small branches cut
clean out, and the larger ones, intended
| for the frame of the tree, cut back 70
within two or three buds of their base
In cases where there is an abundant root
and small top or few branches, the
pruning should be very light, but where
| the roots are very small and topheavy,
severe pruning becomes necessary. These
rules hold good for all deciduous trees
and shrubs. Evergreens seldom need
pruning cScept when set in hedgerows,
! when they may be shorn TO advantage
after setting out.
Winter and Spring Pruning.
In pruning shrubs and fruit bearing
trees, the primer should know whether
the bloom Is on the shoots of last sea
son or on the new wood OF the present
season, also whether the flower buds OF
spring blooming plants are separate from
! the leaf-buds. Careful observation viii
easily determine these points on any
plant. The spring blooming woody plants
usually produce their flowers from BUDS
perfected the autumn before, and TINS
! is the case with most fruit trees, and
such shrubs as lilac, wisteria, mock
orange, forsythia, tree peony, Nlrbur-
NUNS. weigelias and some OF the spireas;
| if. therefore, the shoots of these plants
are cut back in the late spring or au-
| tumn, there will be no blossoms. The
proper time to prune such plants Is Just
after the Towering season. except, OF
course, when it becomes necessary TO cut
out dead wood or thin out the bush. The
summer blooming woody plants, on the
other hand, usually produce their flow
ers on shoots that grow early ~ the
same season. Among these may be men
toned grapes, ounce, hybrid perpetual
roses, shrubby hibiscus, hydrangea tpan-
iculatal, etc. Winter and early spring
pruning in these cases Is altogether safe.
Never prune either shade trees or shrubs
any more than is absolutely necessary.
Interfering branches, crossed branches
on the same tree which rub on dead or
diving branches, should however, be re-
moved: but in pruning be sure the saw,
knife, and shears are sharp and cut of
All branches close 70 the trunk, painting
over the ends of those that are over an
inch across.
Pruning should be done before the sap
starts, and the primer will do wei to
have always before him the natural form
OF the shrub or tree, which should be
changed as little as possible. For ex-
ample. could anything be less beautiful
than a mock orange or snowfall by
drangea trimmed in the shape Of feath-
er buster or like thin-stemmed vase
| Yet drive through the suburbs often
reveals many beautiful shrubs ruined in
lust such fashion by ignorant gardeners.
Copyright 1914. by E. r, Parkinson All
rights reserved