3^ THE RURAL SOCRATES. 



0ut all weeds, ventilates the young (hoots, and firips his 

 trees from time to tunc of branches, almoft to the top ; 

 a method which contributes, in no fraail degree, to ac- 

 celerate the growth of the trees and augment the beauty 

 of their trunk. The neighboring farmers reject this 

 manner of treating trees as extremely prejudicial ; 

 jbut Kliyogg troubles himfelf but very little about 

 their approbation, fo long as he is convinced that his 

 pines and firs are equal, and often fuperior in growth 

 jtotliofe of his neighbors.- — It iriuft be allowed, that, on 

 the firll view, his woods appear thinner, from the open- 

 ings vifiblie between the trunks where the branches are- 

 taken off • but after a more accurate examination, I 

 found his opinion well founded. I did not fee one fm- 

 gle young fir that Teemed withered and decayed, 

 though t,he branches cf ail were confiderably lopped. — 

 He made experiments Ibme years fince how far he might 

 carry the operation with fafecy : he reduce^^i the branch- 

 es of fo many trees as thfe compafs of a quarter of an 

 acre afforded, leaving only three knots on any ; the 

 trunks were from fix inches to a foot in circumference^ 

 He did not lole more than four trees ; the refl, to fpeak 

 truly, were a longer time than ufual in making their 

 fhoois, but they afterwards grew as vigoroufiy as oth- 

 ers. Kliyogg oblerved that every year produced a new 

 head to the fir tree, till it arrived at its pcrfedion ; he 

 inferred that the lower circle might be taken off every 

 year without injury to the tree ; and that if pruning had 

 even been omitted feveral years together, the fame num- 

 ber of circles might be taken off with confidence.^ I 

 know this pracftice is cbntraditftory to the generally ef- 

 tabliflied theory of the vegetation of trees, and the ex- 

 periments of the mofl: difcinguiflied naturalifts of the 

 prefcnt times (fuch as Kales, Bonnet, and du Haniel ;) 



who ' 



* This method of pruning fir-trees I have hefore heard cf afif'wering 

 greatly : but how Kliyogg's pruning his woods for manure can be advan- 

 tageous I can conceive only by fuppofing the Swifs woods and our Eoglifii 

 >0'< Qn?s totdlly diffcient. Y, 



