140 The Forest Trees of Wiltshire. 
get out, died there. The diameter of the inside is more than six 
feet; and the outside at five feet from the ground is twenty-four 
feet in circumference. As before stated, fine elms are to be found 
in every part of the county, from Charlton Park in the north, to 
the Close in Salisbury in the south, where noble specimens may be 
seen. In the centre also, quite near to the town of Devizes, in a 
field through which the foot-path leading to the ‘“‘ Iron Pear Tree 
Farm ” goes, are two noble and beautiful common elms; there is 
little or no difference in size between them, either measuring 
upwards of fifteen feet in circumference at about four or five feet 
from the ground. Some fine Wych Elms may also be found within 
a mile or little more of the same spot. They stand in the last 
division of a large grass field, at the back of Rowdeford house 
through which a foot-path runs into the Chippenham road. 
Before quitting the elm, a few words may be said with regard to 
pruning that, or any other deciduous tree. If beauty is of any 
importance, no evergreen tree ought ever to be touched, except 
perhaps, in the slightest degree, to maintain uniformity of growth 
in its early stages. Speaking generally,—PRUNE Nor aT ALL, 
ought to be a maxim as strictly to be observed as swear not at all. 
The attempt to improve nature is always a dangerous experiment, 
and almost always a miserable failure. Still there are cases in 
which something may be done with advantage. For example: 
when a young tree (especially an elm), instead of throwing out its 
branches somewhat horizontally, breaks into two leading shoots, 
one ought to be removed, or shortened, so as to retard its growth. 
If this be not done when these two leaders become a foot or there- 
abouts in diameter at the point of division, a very high wind fre- 
quently makes them open at the fork and one is torn off, leaving 
a long hideous wound, or the entire top will be lost. Again, when 
pruning becomes absolutely necessary in consequence of a branch 
being broken, cut it off either quite close to the stem, or leave it a 
sufficient length to ensure its remaining alive, thus preventing that 
greatest of all injuries to timber, namely, dead branches being 
grown into the wood. Mind, too, that your cut be left quite smooth, 
and if on a stump of some length in order that it may be kept 


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