64 TRANSACTIONS OF THE ILLINOIS 



which dwarfing process is favorable to hardiness in this climate, especially 

 with evergreens. Now, I have proved in the State of Iowa that ever- 

 greens not generally considered hardy are made so by severe pruning, 

 and I am sure that evergreens that are considered tender and difficult to 

 grow in Northern Illinois and in Iowa become hardy by pruning. I have 

 tested and proved this at the Iowa Industrial University. There is some- 

 thing in the pruning that tends to dwarf and make the tree hardy. 



Mr. Minkler — Our heavy winds usually come after heavy rains, 

 which soften the ground, and the trees are blown over easily; hence the 

 necessity of making this provision against the danger, of setting the trees 

 leaning to the southwest. 



Mr. Hale (of Galesburg) denied that the tendency " to prune " v/as 

 "to dwarf." He said the tendency was the reverse — that is, to increase 

 the growth. The man who commences to prune must keep at it. Prune 

 some, and then you must prune more. You cannot stop when you have 

 once commenced. Cut off one limb and two or more shoots will come 

 in its place ; and it will not be many years before you will question. 



Hardly, sure, could the tree be worse 

 If it had never been pruned at all. 



I have been an amateur horticulturist for thirty years, and I have reached 

 this conclusion : that much injury has been done by reckless pruning. 

 The true plan is, prune as little as possible. Prune when you must, to 

 keep the tree in shape and properly balanced, and "whatsoever more 

 than this you do is evil." If you find two limbs growing where one ought 

 to grow, cut it out quickly, and then put your knife in your pocket. 



Prof. McAfee — I would like to ask Mr. Hale what he 'would do if 

 he wanted two limbs where one grows? 



Mr. Hale — I do not know that there is ever a case where such a 

 want is present. But, if such a case can be imagined, I will say I would 

 prune to thicken up the head. That is the tendency of pruning. 



Mr. Kinney — Mr. McAfee's teaching, it seems to me, is very differ- 

 ent from what we are taught in the books. He says that the pruning of 

 tender varieties of trees hardens them. I have always supposed that 

 pruning exhausted the tree. 



Prof. McAfee — When you plant out loo Scotch pine trees you are 

 liable, in this part of the State and in Iowa, to lose a large part of them. 

 This is my experience, when planted in the ordinary way. I planted, in 

 1875, ^ certain number of Scotch pines for trial, unpruned ; and I 

 planted out an equal number at the same time, and by the same persons, 



