40 ON THE COMPARATIVE ADVANTAGES OF THE 



V. Report on the Comparative Advantages of the different 

 Methods of Pruning. By Andrew Gilchrist, Forester, 

 Urie House, Stonehaven. 



Notwithstanding the existence for the last eighteen years of an 

 Arhoricultural Society, the primary ohject of which is "by the offering 

 prizes for practical essays and reports, to endeavour to disseminate a 

 knowledge of the principles and practice of arboriculture, so that we 

 may attain, as far as practicable, to a uniform and sound method of 

 practice in the planting and rearing of forest trees; and also the very 

 commendable manner in which the Highland and Agricultural Society 

 that has encouraged writers to send in reports, and the many articles 

 have from time to time appeared in the agricultural section of the 

 public press ; — although all these engines have been at work, there 

 is still not a few of the departments of modern forestry on which 

 there exists a considerable difference of opinion. If we are not mis- 

 taken, the great arhoricultural want of our day is a correct and com- 

 prehensive knowledge of the first principles of arboriculture. At 

 present there is no want of empirical rules, founded on a practice 

 that is supposed to be successful; but, as a general rule, these empiric 

 systems are not reliable. And the man with a scientific knowledge 

 always doubts them until he has fully tested them, and found them 

 in harmony with the laws of vegetable physiology. A thorough 

 knowledge of these laws, and then the earnest endeavour to 

 harmonise our various operations, so that they may become as mild 

 in their opposition to these laws as possible, is beyond all question 

 the proper method to obtain a uniform and definite system of prac- 

 tice, founded on accurate and undoubted first principles. 



The pruning of forest trees is one of those branches of modern 

 forestry which is uniformly important, whether we consider it from 

 a scientific or a practical point of view, and regarding which there 

 is an absolute necessity that sound and definite first principles should 

 exist. During recent years the discussion of this subject has attracted 

 much attention ; but though often discussed and studied even by 

 men with a first-rate scientific knowledge and a sound practical 

 experience, and who have had good opportunities of investigating, 

 and without prejudice recording their conclusions, still many con- 

 flicting opinions prevail. Theory is opposed to theory, and the 

 methods of operating are the same. If we begin to discuss the sub- 

 ject with foresters here and there throughout the country, we not 



