152 THE REARING OF 



away firs from hard-wood for the first time, great 

 caution is necessary not to overdo this point, more 

 particularly if the situation be much exposed. An- 

 other advantage gained by keeping young hard- 

 Avood trees rather close among firs is, that from 

 being confined rather than exposed, the plants are 

 more drawn up to height of boll than to breadth of 

 branches ; and from the circumstance of the side 

 branches being confined, and not allowed to expand 

 upon account of the firs, they do not grow rapidly, 

 and of course the top soon gets the lead in the 

 growth, and in a great measure does away with the 

 necessity of pruning — which is, properly speaking, 

 an unnatural operation, and ought to be avoided as 

 much as possible. When once the top of any tree has 

 fairly got the lead of all the branches, it will keep it 

 ever after, unless any unforeseen accident should 

 befall it. When young trees have too much free air 

 and room to spread out their side branches in a 

 plantation, there must be much waste of ground; and 

 in order to check such a free growth of side branches 

 where such is actually the case, pruning must be 

 adopted, in order that one tree may not injure 

 another. But under good management this is 

 seldom found to be the case; where young planta- 

 tions have been neglected, the case is altered, and 

 a system of pruning must be adopted. 



The firs growing in a plantation among hard- 

 wood trees, which arc intended for the ultimate 



