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Show "Whu-h comes first the hen or the egg?" is an ancient stock question. Unpopular speakers used to say the egg came first, as it was easier to throw. Forester Suggests Time to Prune Shelter Trees Prune your shade, ornamental and woodlot trees now, suggests J. WWtney Floyd, extension forester for-ester for the Utih Sta'o Agricultural Agri-cultural College. During this season sea-son the tree Is dormant and the cutting of limbs and thinning of the branches is not so likely to injure the tree. Furthermore, the season is not so busy as during cropping time and the work can' be done more carefully. Several points should be kept in mind by those persons who intend to prune their shade trees, Mr. Floyd stated. Pruning should be done during dur-ing the winter season and before the growth starts in the spring. Terminal shoot or the main stem should not be cut back, as this will deform the shape of the tree. Pruning should result in a trimming of the lower and side branches, also a thinning of the limbs throughout the crown. Branches should be removed close to the main stem. The cut should be made with a sharp saw or heavy nippers. It is better to. make an undercut with the saw first, so that when the up-percut up-percut is made, the weight of the branch will not tear or disfigure the bark and thus damage the tree. Possible damage can also be avoided by removing the branch in two pieces: first, sewing sew-ing most of it off, leaving a short stub, and then removing the stub. In no case should the stub of the branch be allowed to remain on the trunk of the tree, as the wound then cannot heal over. All wounds or scars 'that are larger than two inches in diameter diam-eter should be coated with some 'P(:esfc-vatie material or painit which will tend to retard decay or disease until the wound can heal. Further information may be obtained from USDA Farmers' bulletins numbers 1178 and 1209 entitled "Trea Surgery," and ''Planting and Care of Street Trees," respectively, or by asking ask-ing a county agent |