146 Pruning. 



the way of shaping the young tree. But few of us can realize how much 

 our trees will grow and thicken, even after we have been at great pains to 

 form an open head on the young plant. 



There are other persons who insist upon it that trees should never be 

 pruned at all ; that it is unnatural, and must be productive of evil results. 

 For this they claim to have some color of reason ; and they say that Na- 

 ture does not use the saw, and they can point to many beautiful and per- 

 fect specimens of her work in which there is not a limb amiss. 



But Nature does prune, and severely too. Though the saw is never 

 heard in the forest, in the prairie-grove, nor in the oak-opening, still the 

 beautiful shafts in the one, the perfect outlines in the natural and beautiful 

 grouping of the other, and the majestic contour of the noble specimens in 

 the last, all show that pruning, in its true sense, has been done, and most 

 effectively too, as will appear evident in the results. 



But we should bear in mind, that, in all our cultures, we have taken the 

 work out of Nature's hands into our own : we are unwilling to wait her 

 slower marches in this and in many other matters, but must strike to pro- 

 duce quicker results. What she has effected in the course of years by a 

 slow and lingering death and decay, with unseemly accessories of dead and 

 dying limbs, we prefer to do at once ; and, with appropriate tools, we can 

 effect our object. 



It may be asked why we prune at all. The answer is obvious. The 

 objects are threefold. We prune, ist, To give the desired form to our 

 trees by curbing, and reducing irregular and excessive production of wood- 

 growth j 2d. To produce fruitfulness by directing the sap for the forma- 

 tion of fruit-spurs ; and, 3d, To thin the fruit, and to give access of light 

 and air to every part of the tree. All these objects are pursued by the 

 judicious pruner, and all are modified to adapt them to the different kinds 

 of fruits and trees which we cultivate. 



Let us consider these several reasons for pruning a little more in detail ; 

 and the principles involved can be applied in practice by the intelligent 

 pruner, with modifications that will adapt them to the various kinds of 

 shrubs and trees to which they are to be applied. Thus, under the first 

 head, we prune most of our ornamental shade-trees very differently from 

 those of our orchards and fruit-gardens. Here shape alone is usually the 



