14 THE PHILOSOPHY OF PRUNING 



parts. It may be replied that the tissue, the 

 wood, which is removed in large limbs, might 

 have been saved to the tree by directing it into 

 other parts of the top by means of earlier prun- 

 ing. This may be true ; but I must contend 

 that this saving would have resulted only in an 

 economy of time by building up the other parts 

 earlier in the lifetime of the tree, and not in an 

 economy of vitality, for vitality is constantly 

 renewed. 



It may be a question if we really save a pro- 

 portionate amount of time by early pruning ; 

 that is, whether we can direct the same amount 

 of growth into the remaining portions of the 

 plant by pruning very early in its lifetime 

 as we can by pruning when the superfluous 

 branches have attained some size and have, per- 

 haps, begun to bear. There is an exact balance 

 between the feeding capacity of the plant that is, 

 its root-system and food supply and the super- 

 ficial growth of the plant. The more active 

 and efficient the root, the larger the top. If we 

 remove a large portion of this top, there is an 

 endeavor to supply the deficiency by an exceed- 

 ingly rapid growth. So pruned plants are nearly 

 always more vigorous than unpruned ones, be- 

 cause of the concentration of a somewhat con- 

 stant food supply into a smaller number of 

 branches. Therefore, pruning must have much 

 the same effect as manuring. The stimulating 



