BADLY-TRAINED AND AGED TREES. 207 



back the lateral branclies, to the stem, and after- 

 wards proceed in the same way as for young trees 

 intended for the standards of the pyramidal form, from 

 their first start. 



But when the tree has attained a height of twelve or 

 fifteen feet, as fig. 177, and the base of the stem is still 

 provided with a certain number of branches, two-thirds 

 only of the total height should be cut away ; and the 

 branches situated immediately below cut back to about 

 one and a half inches from the stem. The branches 

 quite at the base must be left entire. The branches 

 situated between these two points must be cut so that 

 their highest points maintain an oblique line from the 

 extremities of the lower branches to those of the 

 branches at the top of the tree. It is also necessary to 

 make incisions upon the stem, either to determine the 

 formation of new lateral branches, where they are 

 deficient, or to strengthen feeble branches or those that 

 have been newly grafted upon the stem by approach on 

 the Richard side graft (pp. 5 and 17), where incisions 

 alone have not succeeded in developing new shoots. If, 

 however, the lower branches are too feeble, relatively 

 to those situated at the point where the stem is cut, 

 and also if their nimiber is insufficient, it may be neces- 

 sary to cut them away altogether, in order to develop a 

 new series of side branches. 



During the following summer the growth of the 

 lower branches must be accelerated by pinching those 

 at the summit, with the exception of that, however, 

 which has been retained for lengthening the stem. At 

 the winter pruning the lower branches should be left 



