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254 CULTURE AND MANAGEMENT OF OAK. 



save the trouble of future repetitions of the process ? 

 There are several reasons which render this ineligi- 

 ble. If, at so early a stage of growth, only one shoot 

 were left on each stool, it would not be able to con- 

 sume the sap furnished by the roots. The conse- 

 quence would be a multitude of new shoots spring- 

 ing up, which would require to be displaced in their 

 turn ; so that no labour would ultimately be saved. 

 When the shoots are young, they are exposed to a 

 variety of accidents, being, especially, very liable to 

 be broken, and it is highly proper that some provi- 

 sion should be made against such casualties. In 

 addition to these considerations, it is worthy of no- 

 tice that, among several shoots which have made 

 equal progress, and appear equally thriving when 

 they are two or three years old, there may be a con- 

 siderable inequality, in both respects, some years af- 

 terwards. Besides the other conveniences, therefore, 

 of leaving a plurality on each stool, at the first thin- 

 ning, the practice gives an opportunity of selecting 

 for preservation, at a period when the vegetative 

 powers of the shoots are more fully developed, the 

 individual which has the appearance of becoming 

 the finest tree ; this appearance being the less de- 

 ceptive the farther the plant has advanced in growth. 

 I neglected, in the proper place, to observe, that, at 



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