50 ON THE COMPARATIVE ADVANTAGES OF THE 



diminished, and nothing done to prevent the growth of rival tops. 

 The leaving of this stump is no advantage whatever; it becomes 

 an incumbrance to the tree similar to what a decayed branch would 

 be, and its effects on the quality of the timber are identical with 

 those we have already described as following nature's pruning. 

 Consequently, we consider it sufficient to say that it has no real 

 advantages — it lacks the good effects of foreshortening, and has all 

 the bad effects of the method of close pruning, as also those of 

 nature's pruning. 



Another advantage of foreshortening is, that it can be applied to 

 Coniferce, in the form of pinching or disbudding. This very often 

 secures a suitable leading top for those trees that have lost their 

 leader by accident or otherwise. We can point to several examples 

 where, by a little attention, good leading shoots have been produced 

 by pinching back the upper tier of lateral branches except one. 

 When this is done, nature comes to our aid, and gradually, as the 

 branch grows, she turns it in an upward direction, until it becomes 

 vertical. This is often done with such a nicety, that in a year or 

 two the tree has scarcely any appearance of having ever lost its 

 leader. In 1870, a Pi?ius Laricio lost its leading top after it had 

 grown a few inches. We cut this broken top out by the joint, and 

 pinched all the lateral branches on the uppermost tier, except one, 

 which was left as a top, and it grew about 6 inches that season, and 

 in 1871, 24 inches, and gradually came into the place of the leader. 

 This season it has again added 24 inches to its height. We could 

 give similar examples, with specimens of Picea nobilis, Abies 

 Douglasii, Pinus excelsa, and many others that have been brought 

 into a proper form of growth by timely pinching. 



In pruning deciduous trees, when we are forced to take a suitable 

 lateral as the leader, nature lends us her aid, and by degrees assists 

 it into the proper form and place. And again, when we shorten a 

 rival top, she comes to our assistance by causing the lateral branches 

 that grow out above the shortened branch (or top) to bend down, 

 and grow in a rather more horizontal direction, and thus, as it were, 

 assist us by overshadowing the shortened leader. 



Before concluding this paper, we wish to say that foreshortening 

 can be overdone, and we want it to be distinctly understood that we 

 are no advocate for the system of shortening the most of the hori- 

 zontal branches, and thus, as it were, cropping the head of the tree 

 into a formal or conical shape to please the eye. This ought to be 

 considered a matter of secondary importance, for when it is severely 



