44 OX THE COMPARATIVE ADVANTAGES OF THE 



ingly, he started to clear the "branches off the stem to nearly a half 

 of its entire height. There were only a few trees pruned when the 

 proprietor saw the bare and unsightly appearance that they had, 

 and at once advised the forester to stop. In the month of May we 

 sent a suitable man to prune the trees after the following method. 

 "Wherever there were two or more contending tops, he was to select 

 the straightest and best as the leader, and shorten all the others by 

 cutting off about a fourth part of their length, and slightly check the 

 strong side branches, always paying the most particular attention 

 to cut over neatly by a brancldet, tbat would have a tendency to 

 hide the cut, and be inclined to take a horizontal rather than a 

 vertical direction of growth. The pruning was not to be severely 

 done, and no branches were cut off close by the stem. Two years 

 after this they were again slightly pruned, and one or two of the 

 branches on the lower part of the stem cut clean off, and tbs wounds 

 made then were nearly healed over during the first season's 

 growth. Ever since, the same method has been carried out with 

 those trees that required to be pruned, and regular attention has 

 been paid to keep the leading top of each tree in the ascendancy of 

 all others, and to make sure that the vigour of the tree was not 

 impaired. These trees have thriven vigorously, and have now a 

 natural and stately appearance, whde the few that were close pruned 

 are only recovering from the severe check that they sustained, and 

 thus they exhibit the advantages of foreshortening. 



Foreshortening has also pecidiar advantages over close pruning in 

 treating neglected hardwood plantations. "We have had several 

 instances of success by treating them in the following manner : — 

 By first selecting the trees most suitable for the permanent crop, 

 they were slightly pruned, shortening any strong branch that was 

 wide spread or like to take a vertical direction of growth, and 

 reducing all rival leaders to about three-fourths of their length, in 

 some instances just a mere point being cut off. In two or three 

 years this treatment is again repeated, endeavouring to bring the 

 tree a little into shape and to keep it to one leading top. If at all 

 possible, we remove no branches close by the stem till the trees are 

 fairly recovered from the effects of their neglect. In 1860 we had 

 occasion to prune a few acres of oaks twenty years planted, and the 

 above was exactly the method of treatment that we adopted. Some 

 years previously this plantation had been overthinned, conse- 

 quently many of the oaks were of a rather branchy habit. Bat 

 the cautious method of foreshortening gave them a shapely 



