56 TREE PRUNING. 



their height is regularly furnished with branches. In 

 such cases several shoots should be left to supply the 

 place of branches and to regulate the flow of sap 

 (Fig. 52). 



It is often desirable to make two 

 operations of lopping these shoots. 

 Those on the lower portion of the trunk 

 may be cut during the first half of July; 

 while those higher up on the tree may 

 be left until September, to aid the flow 

 of sap and hasten the healing of the 

 wounds made in removing those first 

 cut. 

 Fig. 62. - Pres- The removal of these shoots is one of 



ervation of shoots . . , 



on the stem of a the most important operations connected 



with scientinc pruning, and it should be 

 branches. carefully performed as long as they con- 



tinue to appear, that is during two or three or at most 

 four years if the tree was skilfully pruned at first. 



