82 TENDING OF WOODS 



the value, as timber merchants rightly look with suspicion 

 upon marks which show that pruning has taken place. Such 

 a branch should only be removed when it is necessary to give 

 light to an under crop of young trees, and when the removal 

 of the whole tree is impossible or undesirable. 



Green branches should be cut off as close to the stem 

 as possible, and in such a way as to leave a smooth surface, as 

 this resists rot better than a rough one. The work can be 

 done with knife, hatchet, bill-hook or saw, and it is usually 

 best to allow the workman to use the tool he prefers. Heavy 

 branches should first be cut off two feet from the stem to 

 reduce the weight, and to prevent any possibility of tearing or 

 splitting the stem, and, in all cases, the work should begin 

 with a cut on the lower side, for the same reason. 



When large branches are removed on ride sides or in parks, 

 the wound should be painted over with coal-tar, made 

 sufficiently fluid by the addition of oil of turpentine, to 

 prevent rot or disease. 



As a general rule in forestry, pruning on a large scale should 

 be restricted to the removal of dead branches in young woods 

 of oak, larch, and pine. 



