119 



The actual branches which should be removed, musl be deter- 

 mined by circumstances, no one could possibly tell how in writing, 

 and it is besl to learn by practical observation under a good pruner. 



Anyone can cut and Lop a tree, bul a g I pruner is more, difficult 



to find. As a rule flic tree should lie left perfectly balanced, and 

 all inferior and useless branches removed. The lopping of branches 

 from a tree with a cutlass, can only be considered a- barbarous treat- 

 ment, and it is certain that more deaths among trees are caused by 

 this practice than from any other cause. 



In cases where a branch has fallen naturally owing to the extra 

 weight added by a heavy crop of seed, or rain water, (as frequently 

 occurs with some of our brittle woods — such as the " Carap ") 

 the wounds should always be attended to where practicable, by 

 cutting (dean back, and tarring the wound. In places where, from 

 the decay of a broken branch, a hole or opening occurs into the bole 

 of a tree which will admit rain water, the life of such a tree may be 

 lengthened by some years if such aperture is filled with ordinary 

 Portland cement and smoothed over. 



People are careless at times in pruning, and it is often pointed 

 out that it is too expensive to prune in the manner described in this 

 paper, and the cutlass is resorted to. Such practice cannot be too 

 strongly condemned, as it is well known that it will assuredly end in 

 premature destruction. Although they may live to a certain age 

 under such ti-eatment, it is still quite clear that trees would last many 

 years longer if the services of trained men were employed for carrying 

 out such operations. 



A tree should be treated, as a living thins:, and should no more 

 be tortured by the hacking of a cutlass, than should a member of the 

 Animal Kingdom ; the danger to its life being quite as great, if 

 treated to such practices. Treat trees kindly, and where amputation 

 is necessary or requisite, let it be done by methods which will do 

 least harm. The less a tree is exit, the longer it will live, and 

 therefore all pruning should be done with due regard to the preserva- 

 tion of its life for as long a period as possible. 



641. -A PURPLE LEAF CANE. 



One of the young men attached to the Experiment Station 

 brought in about two years ago, a cane with a diameter ranging from 

 half to three quarters of an inch, bearing leaves dark purple in colour. 

 In all probability, no great importance attaches to find, but it is 

 interesting to note the great difference between it and the ordinary 

 canes of Estates. Planted among other canes, it looks like a black 

 spot at a little distance. 



The cane itself has considerable saccharine matter, and has a 

 peculiar flavour, with a slight though perceptably bitter taste. 



We have no account of its origin, and hesitate to pronounce upon 

 its affinities. 



If any of our readers can enlighten us we should be grateful. 



