Pruning and Trimming 85 
trees with sprawling branch systems, as in the case of the 
Soft Maple, is to make the crown more compact and thereby 
to increase its resistance to wind 
breakage. 
Unless this operation is judi- 
ciously performed there is danger 
of spoiling the natural form and 
making the crown formal and 
undesirable. 
Whenever twigs or branches are dying without a visible 
cause, it is In many, if not in most cases a sign that the 
root and branch systems are not in equilibrium, and it is 
proper to remove not only the dead 
wood, but also some of the green 
wood, in order to give the root 
system opportunity to do its work 
more easily. 
How severely this surgery may be 
applied depends on the condition of 
the individual, the species, and the 
age. Some species, even when quite 
old, respond more readily to the 
treatment than others, and they may 
j be cut back severely into old parts 
Pb aly and yet rehabilitate themselves. 
Others, like the ash, do not respond 
so readily and lose, as does also the 
oak in very old age, the power of re- 
Fie 15 —Broken branches placement by dormant buds.  Per- 
which have not been haps it may be a law that all those 
prune table to mto- that sprout readily from the stump, 
such as the oak (when young), chestnut, basswood, and 
maple, also respond readily to the pruning knife. 
Fic 14 -~ Levin’s patent 
pruning shears 
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