HOW TO PRUNE. 



223 



question is, how to treat such decayed branches when 

 they occur. If left upon the tree, they become em- 

 bedded into the solid wood of the stem, and thereby 

 leave a blemish less or more serious, according to the 

 size of the branch and number of years it remains 



Fig. 6. 



before it falls off from decay ; and if pruned off, 

 there is a blemish made, which undoubtedly, to some 

 extent, injures the quality of the timber. See fig. 6, 

 branch cut and healed after pruning; fig. 7, dead 

 branch causing black knots, which should be pruned 

 off at line A A. 



