212 PRUNING. 



gether in the way they grow in nature, require little 

 or no pruning beyond what nature does for herself in 

 the circumstances. The natural habit of such trees is 

 to produce a balance between stem and branch which 

 is (apart from accident) perfect. It is rare, except 

 when by accident the leading shoot of the stem be- 

 comes broken, that the balance of symmetry is dis- 

 turbed. In such a case pruning is necessary to rectify 

 the disorder, and unless it is attended to in time, the 

 value of the timber will be affected adversely in the 

 majority of cases, and probably the lives of the trees 

 shortened or endangered. 



Any such risk is, however, entirely avoided by 

 pruning when the growth is fresh and young; and 

 should any departure from the natural balance of in- 

 dividual trees have been allowed to continue for years, 

 we should say that, instead of operating on limbs 

 which have acquired considerable size, it would be 

 better to let them entirely alone. 



