OF PRUNING TREES. Ill 



for the lead in the growth. In such a case as this, 

 no time should he lost in giving the strongest and 

 most healthy shoot the preference, and cutting 

 away all the rest, as well as the dead part of the 

 tree, nearly by the ground, or at least down to the 

 part from where the young shoots issue ; prune up 

 the shoot intended to be left for the future tree, 

 by taking off all the stronger branches clean to the 

 boll or stem ; and in this manner go over each and 

 every young tree in the plantation, always choos- 

 ing the most healthy shoot for the future tree, and 

 one which appears to have naturally a good balance 

 of branches, with the leader or top shoot strong in 

 proportion to the rest of the branches. We shall 

 again suppose a plantation of oaks, of the same age 

 as the one above alluded to, but the trees in which, 

 instead of having been planted without any pruning, 

 have been pruned too severely when lifted from 

 the nursery ground, and previous to being planted. 

 The treatment in this case must in every respect 

 be the same as in the former ; that is, all the dead 

 wood should be cut away immediately above the 

 point from which the young shoots issue ; and the 

 strongest and most healthy shoot being fixed upon 

 for the future tree, it must be properly pruned 

 up, by taking off all the stronger branches, and 

 cutting cleanly away the rest of the inferior shoots, 

 which formerly contended with it. But, in a case 

 of this nature, where the trees had been over- 



