PRUNING OF TRANSPLANTS, 297 



equilibrium between the absorbing and transpiring organs. On 

 the other hand, it may be the roots that show an abnormal mode 

 of development, in which case first the roots and then the crown 

 must be pruned. Then again, if the stem is very crooked, it may 

 be straightened by being cut down to the level of a healthy and 

 strong branch or bud. 



(ii) Extent to which the roots have been damaged in being lifted. 

 If the injury is not so severe as to render the re-establishment of 

 the plant uncertain or doubtful, the jagged and badly bruised por- 

 tions of the roots should be taken off, necessitating a proportionate 

 reduction of the crown. 



(iii) The size of the plant. The extent to which a plant is in- 

 jured in being lifted is usually in proportion to its size. More- 

 over, the larger a plant is, the longer will be the distance up 

 which the sap will have to travel from the roots, and the more will 

 the crown be exposed to be damaged by wind or other atmo- 

 spheric influences. Hence the larger a plant is, the more pruning 

 will it generally require ; and not only this, but the better will it 

 be able to stand being pruned. 



(iv) 2^he species to which t/ie plant belongs. Different species 

 can obviously bear different degrees of pruning. Thus conifers 

 can suffer pruning least of all ; they not only, as a rule, possess 

 few buds, but these are situated mainly at the extremities of the 

 stem and branches, and they moreover secrete resin, which clogs 

 the cut surfaces of the roots and renders them incapable of absorb- 

 ing moisture from the soil. Pinus longifolia and deodar are 

 striking exceptions to the general rule, but even they cannot stand 

 being pruned to the same extent as most of the broad-leaved 

 species. In the case of conifers the pruning should ordinarily be 

 limited to the removal of a hopelessly damaged leader, to the 

 foreshortening or entire removal of only the lowest branches, and 

 to the trimming off of all badly bruised or broken portions of the 

 roots. 



As regards broad-leaved species, there are many, which, like, 

 teak, sal, Terminalia tomentosa, &c., producing as they do numer- 

 ous vigorous collum-buds, can bear being completely headed down 

 without any ultimate loss of growth. Some from among these 

 species, like teak, sal and others, although they can stand almost 

 any extent of pruning of the overground organs, suffer very ap- 

 preciably if deprived of even a small part of the younger portions 

 of their root-apparatus. Such species are generally either those 

 which, like teak, develop rapidly a very large and active transpir- 



