AMPUTATING- 



407 



TUipruned forests of Hungary produce trees of the utmost 

 excellence, and that in the north of Germany successful 

 attempts are made to bring about the same result. But much 

 skill, constant supervision, and great practical knowledge of 



Kg. LXXXIX. 



Fig. XC. 



vegetable physiology are employed in producing it, such as at 

 the present time certainly does not exist, with a few exceptions, 

 in this country. 



Among concise directions for managing close plantations advan- 

 tageously, I have seen none wMch more deserve attention than the 

 following, given by an experienced correspondent of the Gardeners' 

 Chronicle, writing under the name of Philo-Sylva : — 



" The value of a timber-tree is much deteriorated by numerous rami- 

 fications attracting and retaining a large proportion of the elaborated 

 sap, which, if properly directed by judicious pruning, would go to fohn 

 valuable timber in the main trunk of the tree. Thinning timeously 

 prevents the necessity of excessive pruning. Thick planting and 

 annual pruning come the nearest possible to the unassisted operations 

 of natural causes towards the formation of straight and well-grown 

 timber. Now, when we find this, which may be considered naitural 

 pruning, to produce the straightest and cleanest timber (when this is 

 the object we have in view), ought we not in. artificial pruning to attend 



