TIIF PiIlLOSOPIIY OF PRUNING 



branches, and 



make 



less than a fifth of the 

 branches persist. The 

 greater part of these 

 branches die before 

 they come to bearing- 

 age, no doubt, but some 

 of them perish after 

 they have attained a 

 considerable size. A 

 forest tree grows a tall, 

 straight bole because 

 the side branches are 

 lopped off (Fig. 27), 

 and the more vigorous 

 this pruning, the taller 

 and stronger the tree 

 becomes. 



Another black cherry 

 tree, two years old, 

 found in the woods, 

 bore buds at regular 

 intervals about two 

 dozen of them. The 

 second year the ter- 

 minal bud sent out a 

 shoot, and 13 lateral 

 buds gave rise to 

 branches. Of these 13 

 lateral branches only 

 three stand any chance 

 of living in the dense 

 shade of the forest. In 

 fact, four or five of the 

 lowest twigs were dead 

 when the [observa- 

 tion] was made; show- 

 ing that the struggle 



FIG. 27 SEEDLING CHESTNUT 103 YEARS 

 OLD Shade caused natural pruning of 

 limbs for over 30 feet. 



