File:The American florist - a weekly journal for the trade (1892) (18119821482).jpg

Title: The American florist : a weekly journal for the trade
Identifier: americanfloristw07amer (find matches)
Year: 1885 (1880s)
Authors: American Florists Company
Subjects: Floriculture; Florists
Publisher: Chicago : American Florist Company
Contributing Library: UMass Amherst Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: Boston Library Consortium Member Libraries

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1%. The American Florist. 9S1
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CRIMSON KINC DEEP CRIMSON. ROSY MORN. BLUSH WITH PINK BASE. CYCLAMENS AT THE WORLD'S PAIR. United States as a sunny bedding plant. My object in writing these few words of ■ caution is to save further disappointment and failure such as I have repeatedly seen here during the past few years, in many cases flower beds that have cost a great deal of moaey showing litlle for the expense and labor excepting black soil from April to November. Northallerton . Boston. At the meeting of the Gardeners' and Florists' Club at Horticultural Hall, on Tuesday evening April 4th, the following paper was read by David Allen on the subject of PRUNING. Pruning is an art made use of by gar- deners to assist nature in developing her flowers and fruits to their best produc- tiveness, fruitfulness and qualitj', and by the forester and gardener to enable them to keep within bounds and in good form our many beautiful trees and shrubs. But of the greater results from pruning few give more pleasure to the eye, the general cultivated taste, and we would suppose to the tree itself judging from the results, than the pruning, lopping or sawing off of dead and decaying branches, which should be cut right back to the sound wood, always cutting in such a manner as will give the bark a good chance to heal over. A tree is as sensitive of a decayed branch on its trunk as we are of having a decayed tooth in our head, and should be looked after accordingly. A tree is the most noble and beautiful of nature's productions, yet how often do we see them neglected and uncared for even around our lovely Boston. I don't mean to say that gardeners are to blame but the proprietors themselves. There is no name in the English language vulgar erough to fitly describe such ridiculous ignorant taste as we often see displayed; a lawn of velvety, short, green grass, walks raked and rolled, beautiful flower beds all around, everything showing an every day care except that the possibly stately landscape is marred beyond description with rotten, decayed and withering branches on the trees occu- pying this same lawn, and trying to exist with all their might although uncared for. Grand and immediate results are ob- tained from removing the decaying branches of trees, and pruning back some of the projecting sound branches so as to give a symmetrically formed and shapely, yet naturally growing appear- ance to the tree, always seeing that the larger wounds are oiled or painted so as to keep the sun from cracking the same. In most cases, either with oak and elm or other slow growing trees the results will be exceedingly gratifying, the trees re- sponding even within the year with more luxuriant and glossy foliage. These remarks apply to trees of great age as well as to those that are young, provided the main trunk is healthy and free from disease and its bark in good condition. If otherwise, they cannot be saved and should be taken right out. Projecting branches of maples and other soft-wood growing trees should be pruned in the fall; thatis, where a branch or a side trunk projects too far from the main trunk, spoiling the natural shape and in danger of being torn or split off by severe storms. Such trees are not often grovying in the open with light all around but in crowded places where a strong branch will often force its way beyond its natural limit, for nothing else but for light and air. And now about shrubs. A remark recently made, that "a gardener does not know how to prune, but leaves a shrub pruned like a broom stick;" is I think, to say the least, unfair. Possibly the author of the remark referred to cheap gardeneis or those that had been in the business but twenty-five minutes, or possibly he was thinking of the owners of these very broom handle shrubs themselves; who knows? It is a remarkable fact that any man or woman who has planted a single geranium will lay claim to the title of gardener. I know of a well kept estate, except tor the pruning of itsflowering shrubs. It is located but a few hundred yards on the Boston side of Harvard College. In this place the proprietor has changed his gar- dener several times within the last seven- teen years, still the same shrubs retain their respective shapes which are brooms and handles, ice houses, haystacks or other unnatural growing forms. Surely every successive gardener would not fol- low thus in the foot steps of his predeces- sor. Doesn't it look as though the

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