184 



oak, the Spanish chesnut, the plane, the ash, and al- 

 most all the fir tribe ; but the branches of the beech 

 and elm will often get sickly on the exposed side. 



III. — Pruning is always detrimental to the health 

 and figure of a tree, and the pruning-knife should 

 never be put on a tree after it is six feet high ; there- 

 fore, when it arrives at this height its every part, 

 both as to trunk and top, should receive all the shap- 

 ing and pruning that is necessary, or that human art 

 or ingenuity can suggest to make it a proper tree, 

 whether indeed it be for ornament or profit as a tim- 

 ber tree, unless where a branch breaks by misfor- 

 tune or dies, by all means take such off close by the 

 bole or trunk of the tree. 



IV. — In some of the plantations which I have 

 been endeavouring to describe, there has been some 

 injudicious pruning ; indeed nothing could be worse 

 than to prune healthy branches off fine healthy trees, 

 with a mistaken idea, to let up a dwarfish tree, and 

 the more so, as there was no use for such a tree in 

 the plantations we are amongst ; what is done can- 

 not be recalled ; but no such system or practice 

 should be upon any pretence whatever allowed in fu- 

 ture. 



V. — Observe, that in some of the plantations where 

 the pruning has been going on, there are a number 

 of these poHsh trees that will chance to stand, should 

 these, as they often do, send out a young shoot or 

 sucker from the pruned off branch at the bole, be 

 sure to allow it to remain if it will, and not pair it off, 

 as is sometimes done, and indeed often necessarily 

 in other cases. 



VI. - — When layering is to be done, either with a view 

 to rear underwood, or for standing trees ; if from oak, 



