Pruning for Form 103 



shape, but accidents, like breakages of branches, disturb 

 the normal development and call for the correcting hand of 

 man. Some species, as, for example, the Silver Maple, the 

 Sycamore, and poplars, have a straggling habit, developing 

 so irregularly, that their long branches are apt to be broken 

 bv the winds. By judicious pruning this habit can be 

 counteracted, and the crown be made more compact and 

 wind-resistant. 



Too often old neglected trees have lost their beauty by 

 neglect in earlier pruning, and it may tax the ingenuity 

 and good judgment of the tree doctor to restore them to 

 desirable shape in order to sa\c tlie time which their 

 replacement would require. Usuall}' in such cases general 

 repairing and invigorating of the dila])idated cripples arc 

 also involved. 



As regards the form in which to trim a tree, it is neces- 

 sary to know, not only that the \"arious species exhibit vari- 

 ous forms typical of themselves, 

 but also that their form varies 

 with age, the young tree being 

 different in form from the mid- Fig. 35. — Plain one edged 



, 1 • . ,. - . pruning saw. 



die-aged, and this agam dmenng 



from the old tree. It is, therefore, impossible to give general 

 rules; only study and observation in the lield can develop the 

 eye which recognizes typical form. 



There are, however, two very clearly distinguishable 

 types, namely, that of the conifers, and that of most of the 

 broad-leaved trees. 



The conifer type is characterized by the pyramidal shape 

 of the crown, the main axis de\eloping more rapidly than 

 the branches, and these besetting the bole to its base. This 

 beautifully symmetrical pyramid, which is especially typical 

 of spruces and firs, lasts from twenty to forty years and 



