18 THE PHILOSOPHY OF PRUNING 



therefore, easy to overstep the danger line ; and 

 yet it is strange that while certain writers dis- 

 parage the pruning of trees they do not object 

 to the common pruning of the vine. In fruit 

 trees the instances of injurious interference with 

 nutrition by pruning are rare, and they need not 

 be further considered here. This is proved by 

 the good results which so often follow the heroic 

 treatment of top -grafted trees. 



But, you want to say, if pruning is not devital- 

 izing, if the removal of strong branches induces 

 more vigorous growth in the remaining ones, 

 and if there is little danger of disturbing the 

 nutrition of the tree, it must follow that there 

 can be no objection to the removal of large 

 branches. I cannot agree to this inference, al- 

 though I am willing to say that the removal of 

 such branches may not be objectionable so far as 

 direct injury or shock to the vitality of the tree 

 is concerned. But there are important reasons 

 why large branches should not be removed. Such 

 pruning exposes dangerous wounds, it is apt to 

 open the tree so much that some of the remaining 

 parts scald and borers obtain a foothold, it may 

 despoil the symmetry or convenience of the tree, 

 and such branches may represent a certain amount 

 of energy which should have been earlier directed 

 elsewhere; and aside from all this, the cutting 

 away of very large branches often indicates a lack 

 of enterprise and forethought on the part of the 



