48 



TREE PRUNING. 



or if nothing beyond lopping off from year to year the 

 young shoots developed along the trunk had been at- 



Fig. 46. Trunk of an Oak injured 

 by neglect and bad pruning. 



Fig. 47. Trunk of the same 

 tree two years after treatment. 



tempted, its decay would have been rapid and com- 

 plete ; without pruning it must soon have died 

 without yielding anything more valuable than fire- 

 wood. 



The removal of numerous branches, for the purpose 

 of restoring vigor to a decrepit tree, may seem op- 

 posed to what has already been stated in regard to 

 the functions of leaves in elaborating plant food ; 

 and it might be argued that pruning must be inju- 

 rious, because, in shortening or removing a branch, 

 some of the leaf organs essential to the growth of the 

 tree must also be destroyed. Such an argument is 

 based on a popular error of very general acceptance. 



It is often claimed that the healthy growth of a 

 plant depends on the number of its leaves. It is 



