Cutting Primaries. 237 



whippy, and straggling, when the end may be 

 docked, or cut off, just beyond a good secondary, 

 which latter will naturally take the place of leader. 

 But primaries must never be cut on such grounds 

 as their having become leafless, or sickly after crop, 

 a more far-sighted policy will rather be to remove 

 a secondary in order that its parent branch may 

 have a more liberal supply of sap. Where the ends 

 have died, there is no harm in breaking off the part 

 that is dry and rotten, but it is much better even 

 to leave these dry ends than that the coolies should 

 get into the babit of cutting the primary branches. 

 If the dead part be left, the branch will only die 

 back as far as the next healthy secondary, which 

 will then supply its place, and no great harm is 

 done. 



More than any other operation in planting, 

 pruning should be done carefully and intelligently. 

 The best men should be reserved for this work, and 

 are better not hurried, it being preferable to have 

 a small number of trees judiciously treated, than 

 that the whole estate should be badly and slovenly 

 gone over. 



