402 FORESHORTENING. 



largest branches, leaving those only of the smaller kind that are requ: 

 site for the health and support of the tree, and clearing the tree, froi 

 the bottom, of all its branches as it advances in age. But the bo! 

 should be cleared very slowly at first when the trees are young. Onl 

 keep the branches that are left thereon small hy often pruning, so i 

 not to injure the tree when it becomes timber. By the heads pf tref 

 being kept tapering when young, the rapidity of the growth is greatl 

 increased, on account of the sap being confined to the most usefi 

 points, and not allowed to spread in support of large unnecessar 

 branches. By attending to these rules, and the operation of prunin 

 being executed every year, the bole will be extended to a great height 

 and at the end the grand object attained, viz., the production of soun 

 unblemished timber. The proportion which will be found to be mos 

 consistent with full-sized trees is fifty feet trunk to thirty-five feet c 

 head. It is of the utmost importance that trees should have circmn 

 ference of stem in suitable proportion to their height. If the circum 

 ference is one inch for every fifteen inches in height, so much th 

 better. Trees should be examined every year till they are fiftee 

 inches in circumference ; the highest will then he fully eighteen feet." 



2. Foreshortening. — This differs from pruning inasmuch a 

 it does not cut back a shoot to its origin, but merely remove 

 one third or half of it, the lower part remaining furnished witl 

 twigs which contribute to the formation of timber. This, whicl 

 is advocated by Billington, undoubtedly deserves to form i 

 part of the process of good timber-growing, provided it is s^ 

 managed that the branch does not die back. Its real objec 

 is to enable leaves to be formed and nevertheless to produci 

 the advantageous effects of pruning. It preserves a latera 

 branch alive for some years, but diminishes its rate of growth 

 So that it may be eventually taken off, having done iti 

 work, without inflicting any extensive wound; or it ma; 

 preserve a branch alive as long as the tree of which it forms i 

 part continues to exist, and thus enables the forester t( 

 remove a limb without injuring the main trunk. 



When it is possible to ensure the life of these foreshortene( 

 limbs, the method is open to no serious objection ; but ii 

 practice it is found thp,t such limbs are apt to lose their smal 

 wood and to die, in which case they produce all the mischie 

 that follows snagging or lopping. Sir Joseph Paxton, Proi 

 Henslow, and others have long since shown how likely this ii 



