PRUNING OF TREES AND SHRUBS 33 



admissible, but a duty that should never be 

 neglected by those in charge. This also ap- 

 plies with equal force to diseased and hollow 

 branches and stems, which are fraught with 

 danger to the public. As to whether or not 

 dead wood should be removed in quantity 

 from our old Oaks and other trees, there is 

 a diversity of opinion, though it cannot be 

 denied that the careful pruning of such is 

 highly beneficial whether from the point of 

 the health of the trees or safety of the public, 

 who may frequent their shade. It is certain 

 that in some of our town parks and gardens 

 there exists an undue quantity of dead and 

 dying wood which may be attributed to 

 natural decay, the poor quality of the soil in 

 which the trees are growing, or to long-stand- 

 ing neglect in the matter of non-attention to 

 wounds which have been caused by wind- 

 broken limbs and branches or other in- 

 juries. Such trees would be greatly im- 

 proved, both in health and appearance, by 

 the removal of the dead branches and atten- 

 tion being paid to old wounds in order to 



