12 THE PHILOSOPHY OF PRUNING 



lost its leader, and the side growths are strong. 

 Let the reader now figure out how many buds 

 have perished (or at least failed to make perma- 

 nent branches) in each of these trees, if they are 

 supposed to be seven years old. Any garden 

 cherry tree will give him the probable number of 

 buds to each annual growth. Even without the 

 figures, it is evident that there are very many 

 more failures than successes in any tree top. 



So every tree is a record of defeats and dis- 

 asters in order that the stronger parts may live. 

 It is safe to conclude that if nature is such a 

 searching and undogmatic pruner, man may 

 prune, too. Those persons who declaim that 

 pruning is unnatural, should be taken into a 

 neglected orchard and be made to see what has 

 transpired in the tree tops. 



I may be met here with the criticism that arti- 

 ficial pruning is excessive ; but I answer that 

 it is not different in kind from natural pruning, 

 and that it is fully warranted by the different ob- 

 jects in view. The ultimate object of nature is 

 the production of seeds, and the more viable 

 seeds produced, the better. Many small fruits, 

 therefore, are desired. Man covets the fleshy 

 portion of the fruit, or some other character 

 which is of minor importance to the plant. He 

 must, therefore, thin the plant rigorous!}-, re- 

 duce the struggle for existence in order that 

 size and quality may come before number. He 



