Prince’s Feather. [See Amarantus.]
Prunes are varieties of plums with firm, meaty flesh, and which readily make dried fruit. Some of the Prunes are commercially grown in the East, but they are sold in the green state as other plums are; and they are adapted to all the uses of other plums. Prunes are cultivated like other plums.
Pruning. There are two general types of inquiry connected with the question of Pruning: First, that which has to do with the healing of the wounds; and second, that which has to do with the shaping of the top and the general welfare of the tree.
Before pruning
When a limb is cut off, it heals by being covered with callus tissue, which grows out from the cambium zone between the bark and wood and rolls over the face of the wound. The hard wood itself never heals; that is, the cells do not have the power of making new cells; therefore the old wood is simply covered up, or hermetically sealed as a cap is put on a fruit jar. It is evident, therefore, that no kind of dressing will hasten the healing of this wound. The merit of a dressing is to keep the wound sound and healthy until the callus naturally covers it over. All things considered, the best dressing is probably thick linseed-oil paint.
After pruning
So far as the wound is concerned, the best time for Pruning is ordinarily in the spring, when the vital activities are beginning; but the season also influences fruit-bearing and wood-making, and these questions should be considered. Those wounds heal best which are on strong main limbs, where there is a full flow of nutritious sap. The limb should be cut off so that the wound is parallel with the trunk upon which it sits, and close to it. That is to say, the longer the stub, the less rapid in general is the healing of the wound. It is the custom to cut the limb just outside the bulge at its base; but, in most cases, it is better to cut through this bulge, and to have the wound close to the main trunk.
