134 THE PRINCIPLES OF PRUNING 



in the pruning of plants, those which are asso- 

 ciated directly with the welfare and behavior of 

 the plant, and those which are associated with the 

 mere form or size to which the plant shall attain. 

 The former includes questions of pruning proper; 

 the latter comprises questions of training, which 

 depend primarily on the taste and abilities of the 

 pruner. Shall I grow my trees to round heads or 

 conical heads, high heads or low heads, one trunk 

 or two trunks ? Whichever you like. It is largely 

 a question of personal preference and opportunity, 

 as it is whether you shall plow with horses or 

 oxen, build a rail fence or board fence, or plant 

 Ben Davis or Baldwin apples. 



Of all the operations connected with the grow- 

 ing of trees and shrubs, pruning and training 

 bring the person into closest contact and sym- 

 pathy with the plant. One shapes and cares for 

 the plant tenderly and thoughtfully, working out 

 his ideals as he would in the training and guiding 

 of a child. There are some persons, to be sure, 

 who cannot feel this sympathetic contact with a 

 plant : they are the ones who, if they prune at 

 all, use an axe or a corn -knife. If a person can- 

 not love a plant after he has pruned it, then he 

 has either done a poor job or is devoid of emo- 

 tion. It is a pleasure to -till the soil and to smell 

 the fresh crumbly earth, but the earth does not 

 grow; it is still a clod. The plant responds to 

 every affectionate touch. Spraying, that modern 



