140 



The Forest Trees oj Wiltshire. 



get out, died there. The diameter of the inside is more than six 

 feet; and the outside at five feet from the ground is twenty-four 

 feet in circumference. As before stated, fine elms are to be found 

 in every part of the county, from Charlton Park in the north, to 

 the Close in Salisbury in the south, where noble specimens may be 

 seen. In the centre also, quite near to the town of Devizes, in a 

 field through which the foot-path leading to the " Iron Pear Tree 

 Farm " goes, are two noble and beautiful common elms ; there is 

 little or no difference in size between them, either measuring 

 upwards of fifteen feet in circumference at about four or five feet 

 from the ground. Some fine Wych Elms may also be found within 

 a mile or little more of the same spot. They stand in the last 

 division of a large grass field, at the back of Rowdeford house 

 through which a foot-path runs into the Chippenham road. 



Before quitting the elm, a few words may be said with regard to 

 pruning that, or any other deciduous tree. If beauty is of any 

 importance, no evergreen tree ought ever to be touched, except 

 perhaps, in the slightest degree, to maintain uniformity of growth 

 in its early stages. Speaking generally, — Prune not at all, 

 ought to be a maxim as strictly to be observed as swear not at all. 

 The attempt to improve nature is always a dangerous experiment, 

 and almost always a miserable failure. Still there are cases in 

 which something may be done with advantage. For example : 

 when a young tree (especially an elm), instead of throwing out its 

 branches somewhat horizontally, breaks into two leading shoots, 

 one ought to be removed, or shortened, so as to retard its growth. 

 If this be not done when these two leaders become a foot or there- 

 abouts in diameter at the point of division, a very high wind fre- 

 quently makes them open at the fork and one is torn off, leaving 

 a long hideous wound, or the entire top will be lost. Again, when 

 pruning becomes absolutely necessary in consequence of a branch 

 being broken, cut it off either quite close to the stem, or leave it a 

 sufficient length to ensure its remaining alive, thus preventing that 

 greatest of all injuries to timber, namely, dead branches being 

 grown into the wood. Mind, too, that your cut be left quite smooth, 

 and if on a stump of some length in order that it may be kept 



