112 THE NATURE AND PRACTICE 



pruned previous to their being planted, there is 

 often more difficulty in making choice of a good 

 young shoot, than where no pruning had taken 

 place at all. And this arises from the young .shoots 

 springing from the main stem in a horizontal man- 

 ner, and that, too, very often a considerable way 

 up the stem. In a case of this nature, where a 

 proper leading shoot, rising perpendicularly, cannot 

 be got, the only wa}^ and the method I always fol- 

 low myself, is to cut the main stem by the surface of 

 the ground, and allow a set of new shoots to rise up. 

 The chance generally is, that, Avhen the tree is thus 

 cut down, all the new shoots will rise in an upright 

 position, and a choice can be afterwards made ; but 

 wherever a proper leading shoot can be had, let it 

 be chosen, although it come away rather far up 

 upon the stem. If it rise perpendicularly, and the 

 plant be in a vigorous healthy state of growth, it 

 will succeed well. This sort of work should be 

 done in the spring months, so that the growth may 

 set in immediately after the operation is per- 

 formed. 



It very often happens that a forester, upon 

 entering a new situation, finds that the several 

 plantations which are put under his management 

 have been hitherto much neglected ; he finds that, 

 in many cases, pruning is absolutely necessary, 

 but he is at a stand to know how to proceed. If 

 he be a man who has not had much experience, 



