Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 29, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 5 February 1917 — The Right and Wrong Ways to Prune Shade Trees [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

The Right and Wrong Ways to Prune Shade Trees

by H.C.Major

No one thinks of shade trees as a profitable crop , and yet of all vegetable growth cultivated by man, none renders more generous return

rN-SP«AKING wltb-n mf?*™ r *~ <ently concerning the benefits deeteod from the plauUmc. .ul ..sbude. trees, shrubbery nnd vines nroumi u house, he said: “It is surprising to 'me that more people do not give gr«'liter attention to this phase of home development. In my life I have built five houses and in every instance I have planted some shade trees, roses and other shrubbei y~becn use 1 hot btny tTiF” mire them and love, to see them grow and develop but in the selling of' my property I have realised several hundred dollars more than I would have, had there been no plantings made.” Another writer says: “Twenty-five dollars would plant, and care for at least five elm trees for a ten-year per[flit —rn§~a~mddcrate esTTmaTe to say~ that at the end of the second year, a building lot would be worth SIOO more for their proseßee.- - the end of Ho years no man who owued the land on which they Stood would take SIOO apiece for them. Plant an elm or a a

maple near your home nnd look upon it i as a SIOO endowment policy, maturing I in 1940, with no premiums after the first year.” the end of ten yettrs, for the return of shade and attractiveness only, what would be-the value-of five good bearing walnut trees. There is no tree more handsome or suitable for planting if only shade and attractiveness is wanted. We think all practical, and really right-minded farmers agree that shade trees beautify anil enhance the value of farm property, and the wonder is that any farmer will neglect to plant trees about his home. Of course, they require soma little atten-, tion for a while at least, and later on tney must be pruned and cared for if the best results are to be had from this form of investment. It would be the height of folly to take the trouble of planting trees, and then consider that the work is ended ‘forever on that tree. To obtain symmetrical, handsouie _ trees*, they must be pruned. There wrong way of " pruning shade trees. Topping should preferably be done after the leaves drop in the fall and before the buds, swell, in the spring but it is-safe ~toT do the work at other seasons. Why We Prune Trees. To remove dead wood.— -The reason for removing dead wood is It is in the way. It breeds disease; it is unsightly and dangerous. The way tn do it is to cut it out, removing all dead or decayed portion. Smooth off the surface so that water will not gather. If a jhvity remains, paint it with a lead paint to keep out fungous and Insect pests, then fill the hole with a material that will keep out the moisture and squirrels and upon which a new bark may'find support to grow. To remove crowding branches.— Branches that rub against and. bruise one another when the wind blows should be taken out as soon as possible. The branch should be cat off clean, close to the main stem with a slanting cut so that water will drain ok. Then coat with a tar or lead paint to keep off water and insects, which bore luib-aud lay eggs 4»~greeu "wood. To increase flowers and fruit.—lnorder to understand t ids we must be able to distinguish between leaf and flower buds. The flower buds are usually larger and of different .shape from leaf buds. By removing limbs or twigs ■which contain only leaf buds we will accomplish our purpose.'The cur must be made clean and smooth and if a large surface of heart wood is left exposed it should be painted. In removing such limbs care must be taken not

to destroy the natural symmetry and "o~f'~'ffie"s'Decimeh. This naturaliy symmetrical shape is precise and fairly regular in its occurrence due to a type structure explained later. To remove unbalanced parts.—lt is a common practice to prune in order to thicken the head, strengthen the specimen, and—create * more dense shade. This is the question that most interests us in the general shaping and care of ornamental trees. We want to know how to “top” our soft maples* elm a,t tlie same time. * Tree Structure. To understand topping we must study tree structure. Trees are either opposite or alternate leaved. In the opposite-leaved trees, the terminal bud develops u new stem. The side buds develop also and each in turn develops a terminal bud and side buds*- This kind of a tree-form# naturally u “leader” or stem that grows straight from the ground to the top of the tree and the liinha-imleasniccident.. ally injured tend to develop symmetrically about- it —e. g., the maple. When you top such a tree or in other words remove the terminal bud, ■you give iii'6re~"strengtlil:o li)Uds. They develop-more abundantly, thickening -the tree and reducing Its spindly length, until it becomes a stronger and a denser shade tree. Such a tree should be topped before it gets so that the. cut will not 4ioal~oveiv and- the cut place must be made-smooth and waterproof. On the other hand the alternate-leaved trees tend to send a branch first to-one side and then to the other side —e,„g., the elm. Until the tree grows out of reach of our hand and strength we can keep it bent straight or the one-side bud removed so that it will tend to send up a straight stem. But as soon as it gets beyond our reach' the identity ®f the trunk is lost in the branches and one may not as a rule trace the main | trunk clear to the top of the tree. If sucli a tree is topped from time to time we may easily leave the last bud always on the same side of the stem and a tree will grow all io one side. Beyond this we must consider the natural strength of a tree. There is no object in trimming or topping n strong hardwood tree such as an oak or a sugar maple that ordinarily tvoufd hot he broken in the wind. Such a tree is naturally adapted to self-forma-tion and unless injured by some ex--I,Trial cause will take care of itself. There are two other things we must know afiout trees. First, certain varieties or species will never make good ornamental shade trees and should not

be used. Many are poor because they are too open; buds' too far apart on the stem and branches come out at long intervals. Other trees are objectimiaWe -because- «£ the -bad odor of their flowers, brittle twigs, dropping" leaves, shedding of bark, or short Use. Secondly, the method of branching or the angle of branching with the trunk affects its form. . : ; The Six Forms. There are six forms into which trees may be grouped. a. Vase form —elm. b. Itound-topped—-maple. c. Boxiform —hlckoirr, d. Coniform —spruce or pine. e. Pyramidal—Lombardy poplar. f. Grotesque —artifc mlly propagated frees like the umbrella catalpa or Tea’s weeping mulberry. the branches bend up, then out and down—the trunk forming the stem*. Topping this tree will make it dished on top and weaken its structure, Itcannot grow together again and a. “fatal crotch” is formed in the branches. (b) Round-topped.^ —The branches of round-topped trees grow out and then bend up and inward, forming a globular top. Cutting off the tips of such branches thickens the top and strengthens the growth. (c) Boxiform. —Trees that are included in the boxiform group also branch squarely or at right angles to the trunk~ahd she Top'Tyrancbes extend to approximately the same length as the lower ones. (d) Coniform.—Branches of treesdn the coniform group form a right angle with the trunk. The lower limbs are wide and the others shorter as they approach the top of the tree until the tree tapers down to a point. (e) Pyramidal. The Lombardy poplar and -others of the pyramidal type have liiybs that tend to grow straight upwards, parallel to the tninkr —= (f) Grotesque trees. —Trees of the grotesque class are of odd and unusual character. They are either too irregular or too foriusil. to be adapted tr»~ naturalistic blariflog and usually branch too low to allow traffic underneath. It would be safe then to say that softwood trees like cottonwood, box elder, soft maple’ and catalpa need topping. Locusts, sycamores, and hickorios need to have dead-wood removed before it falls. Other trees need to be shaped or headed up and given a fair start in life when they are 12 to 20 feet high. If this is done they will thereafter take care of themselves unless artificially or accidentally injured. What Trees Shall I Plant? Trees adapted to shade on lawn and street must have the following characteristics: 1. Tall and wide spreading. 2. Straight trunk and well balanced top. ' 3. Long life and durability of wood. 4. Strength of limb and freedom from insect and fungous pests. 5. Deep root system. 0. No litter of leaf, flower, fruit or bark. * 7. Branching high enough from ground to permit traffic underneath. -—B. Easy +o transplant and affording dense shade. v Try tlie following here stated in the order of thbir preference: .. , : 1. —American elm. 2.—Sugar maple. 3.—Haekberry. 4—Sweet gum. 5. American . and European lindens 6. —IMu and Laurel oaks. 7.—Norwaj maple.

Study the Structure of the Tree Before Undertaking to Prune It.