PRUNING OF FOREST TREES. 65 
one half the height for the branches. Any one who will 
observe the natural habit of a tree will soon learn how it 
should be pruned to make it serve the purpose for which 
it is wanted. It can be made crooked or straight, with 
many stems or one, for trees are not so intractable as is 
sometimes supposed. 
I think there is little need of my warning the novice in 
forest tree culture of the injury which may result from 
pruning too much, because we see that there are too many 
eases of failure from not pruning enough, even among those 
who profess to thoroughly understand the laws of vege- 
table physiology. 
We often see young trees that have become stunted in 
growth, and no amount of manure or cultivation will set 
them growing. Many a professional gardener will give 
physiological lectures upon their case, explaining the reason 
of their perversity, when, if he would take his knife and 
cut the tree down to the ground, or severely head it back, 
it would make a growth of several feet before he gets 
through with his lecture, or searching for reasons why the 
nitrogen and ammonia in the manure, or the superphos- 
phate which had been applied, did not act on the vital 
functions of the tree. 
PRUNING EVERGREENS. 
Evergreen trees will submit to the knife as well as decid- 
uous trees; but as they are not likely to be so generally 
grown for biiniboe as the others, it will not be necessary to 
go into detail as to the best method of pruning them. As 
4 general rule, they should not be pruned when young, un- 
