Pruning. 33 
pruning knives and give heavy ticeas but clumsy 
work must be done and although the gardens may 
do well for a short time before long they will begin 
to suffer for it. Some men prune heavily year after 
year. Some lightly year after year. But the best 
way is to give your bushes a rest once in a way. 
If you believe in heavy pruning, once in 38or 4 
years prune lightly and give the bushes a chance, or 
if you have been pruning lightly for years, ‘Cut 
heavily once in 5 years and get some good wood in- 
stead of all the knots thatare forming. The chief 
objection to Heavy Pruning is that it weakens the 
teas but this is only because you have to let the 
shoots run very long before you pick them. The 
bushes will flush much better the 2nd year and 
tea be very nearly or quite as strong as ever, and 
bushes easier to prune, and easier to pick. The best 
way to prune is lightly on yielding pieces of tea 
and heavily on badly yielding pieces. When 
pruning lightly and only cutting out very bad 
pieces, cut these bad stems nearly down to the 
roots so that the coolies cannot finger the new 
growth (without putting their hands right inside 
