276 YARD AND GARDEN 



possess no knowledge whatever of pruning re- 

 quirements. They liave "hacked" the tree out 

 of all semblance of shape, destroyed its pro- 

 portion and "headed" it back until, if it re- 

 covers from the process at all, it will never 

 attain the perfect form it possessed before the 

 inexperienced laborer began his work. Severe 

 trimming and subsequent training in many in- 

 stances may be necessary, but rather than 

 prune too severely it would be better to err on 

 the safe side, obtaining the effect desired by 

 degrees rather than by submitting the tree to 

 the tender mercies of a man without know- 

 ledge or experience. When a tree is old, long 

 straggling branches are in many cases the 

 cause of retarded growth; they are exposed to 

 the heat of the sun and to the drying winds and 

 the sap is impeded in its flow to such an ex- 

 tent that very little new growth can be made. 

 If these branches be headed back, not too se- 

 verely, new growth will soon show and the 

 trunk and limbs will subsequently be clothed 

 and protected while the tree's form will be im- 

 proved. But, in cutting off branches, if they 

 be large, the wounds left should be painted 

 with linseed oil paint. This prevents decay of 

 the wood and serves to protect the tree from 



