SOFT WOODS. 65 



of all branches, with the exception of a few at the top 

 of the tree, must greatly interfere with the growth in 

 diameter of the trunk ; and healthy branches should 

 not be removed for the sake of creating a clean trunk 

 of more than one half or at the most two thirds of 

 the entire height of the tree. The general rule of 

 pruning already explained in the case of deciduous 

 trees, and which establishes a proportion between the 

 number of branches which should be removed and 

 the size of the tree, might with advantage be more 

 generally applied in the treatment of Pines. 



