VL\ 



PLA 



check if growing too strong for tiie 

 oiliers or for the leader. Tlie later- 

 als should be loft, for the sake of tlie 

 roots, till their presence on the stem 

 becomes inconsistent with the object 

 of producing it as free as possible 

 from knots, taking also into consid- 

 eration that the dilliculty in healing 

 the wound increases as the branches 

 get older. A few of the largest 

 shoots should be those first removed. 

 They may be shortened in the first 

 instance after midsummer, and af- 

 terward cut off smoothly by the low- 

 est circular wrinkles which form 

 round their base, close to the stem, 

 hut without slicing off a portion of 

 the bark : a slovenly practice, of 

 which only bad pruners are guilty, 

 and wlii(di can only have the etTect 

 of diminishing the power of the bark 

 to close over the wound necessarily 

 made by the pruning-knife. Such 

 unnecessary wounds cause an extrav- 

 asation of sap, as may be seen espe- 

 cially in coniferous trees, where they 

 are generally covered with resinous 

 exudations. In the following sea- 

 son the next largest branches should 

 be in like m^anner displaced, care be- 

 ing still taken, on account of the im- 

 portance of the foliage, as already 

 explained, that the quantity removed 

 shall be no more than is absolutely 

 necessary. 



" Small branches along the stem 

 should be left till they approach the 

 dimensions by which the removal of 

 the others is regulated. These prin- 

 ciples should be followed up till the 

 required height of stem is attained ; 

 after which the branches composing 

 the top shall be allowed full freedom, 

 in order to increase, by their organ- 

 izing power, the diameter of the 

 stem. 



" Coniferous trees require little 

 pruning ; nor is it necessary to com- 

 mence so early with them as in the 

 case of other kinds. In dense for- 

 ests, they are found with straight 

 stems, approaching the height of 100 

 feet clear of side branches, the latter 

 gradually decaying below as they be- 

 come excluded from light and moist- 

 ure by those above them. When, 

 588 



from this cause, the lower branches 

 of coniferous trees are observed to 

 lose, in a great measure, their vigour, 

 and when their foliage contributes lit- 

 tle to the enlargement of the stem, 

 they may then be very properly cut 

 off, without waiting for their actual 

 decay. It is a question whether the 

 branches of these trees should be cut 

 close to the stem at once, in pruning, 

 or whether they should first be s)iag- 

 gcd, that is, cut at some distance from 

 the stem, and either allowed so to 

 remain or be afterward cut close. 

 That plan is best to adopt by which 

 the least exudation of resinous sub- 

 stance is occasioned, and the blemish 

 soonest overgrown. With the view 

 of preventing the former, the branch 

 may be shortened only to the first live 

 twigs, so as almost to nullify its con- 

 nexion with the stem, preparatory to 

 its final and close removal in the fol- 

 lowing season. 



" By choosing the proper season, 

 and by previous shortening, large 

 limbs of any healthy tree may be 

 closely amputated so as to heal over 

 without affecting the tree generally, 

 or even the portion of stem more im- 

 mediately connected with the limb to 

 any material extent ; yet the new 

 layer of wood will prove, on cutting 

 up tlie timber, to be only in close con- 

 tact with tlie surface of the wound, 

 which will reiuaiu dead, and with 

 which the living matter enclosing it 

 could not coalesce. A piece of un- 

 sound wood is thus imbodied. In 

 this case, it would be advisable to 

 shorten the limb to such of its later- 

 als as will just be sufficient to keep it 

 alive till the tree is felled. If, in the 

 interval, the branch should push vig- 

 orously, means must be adopted to 

 keep it always in a reduced state, by 

 merely allowing as much foliage to 

 grow as will keep the branch alive, 

 without affording any material ad- 

 dition to its diameter." — {Professor 

 Lindley.) 



PLANTING. See riantatwn. 

 The following table shows the num- 

 ber of plants required for one acre of 

 land, from one foot to twenty-one feet 

 distance from plant to plant. 



