July.~\ PRUNING. 439 



which perhaps bears a confiderable proportion to 

 the whole top of the tree is to be removed, it is 

 wrong to attempt to remove it altogether in one 

 feafon. Let it be mortened at this time at a living 

 lateral, and let the remainder be taken away the 

 next feafon, or let another part of it be then 

 fhortened off, and the final removal be protraded 

 till a third feafon, as circumftances may direct. 

 Let us here, however, obferve, that the alternate 

 pruning muft be clofe by the bole. Timber is 

 not fo much the object here ; if it were, the a- 

 bove circumftance of lopping off fo large a branch 

 would for ever be a blemifh. We would never 

 wifh to fee a branch thicker than a perfon's wrift 

 required to be removed from any tree whatfo- 

 ever ; and good management will always procure 

 us that pleafure. But, alas, how little of that 

 kind of management is to be feen ! Not one of 

 a thoufand pays any attention to the pruning of 

 his plantations and trees, till they are almoft 

 paft redemption ; at any rate, till it is impofli- 

 ble to make good clean wood, and not unfre- 

 quently difficult to leave healthy plants, on ac- 

 count of the size and number of the branches 

 neceffary to be taken off. For further directions 

 for the work of pruning, we refer the reader to 

 January, (pp. 146 154). 



FK.5- 



