INTRODUCTION. vn 



made on a tree can only be recovered with healthy, 

 new wood, when its entire circumference is brought 

 into direct communication with the leaves by means 

 of the layer of young and growing cells formed be- 

 tween the wood and the bark. To make this connec- 

 tion it is necessary to prune in such a manner that no 

 portion of an amputated or dead branch shall be left 

 on the trunk. The cut should always be made close 

 to and perfectly even with the outline of the trunk 

 without regard to the size of the wound thus made. 

 This is the essential rule in all pruning, and on its 

 observance the success of the operation depends. 



It is not probable that the practice of pruning forest 

 trees will be generally adopted in the United States 

 until the further destruction of our forests has carried 

 the cost of forest products to a point where it will 

 be profitable to plant and rear in this country new 

 forests according to scientific methods. That time 

 cannot be far distant ; and already many of our 

 special industries dependent on certain hard woods 

 feel the want of better and more abundant material. 

 Some attention, especially in the Prairie States, has 

 of late years been given to tree-planting, and large 

 and successful plantations already exist in many parts 

 of the country. The value of such plantations can 

 be greatly increased by the early adoption of a scien- 

 tific system of pruning, which, if applied also to the 

 valuable hard-wood trees scattered over the more 

 thickly populated portions of the country, could not fail 

 to largely increase their productive capacity. 



