70 



PRACT1CAI> FOEESTKY. 



sap has a corrosiye action on both the exposed ^ound, 

 and siirroundins: bark, often hastenins^ deeav. This is 

 especially true with trees like the maple^ butternut^ and 

 birch, which bleed (as it is termed), if wounded at any 

 time during the latter part of winter or early spring. 

 The oozing sap also attracts certain insects^ especially 

 those that infest dying or dead wood. In my own exper- 

 ience I have never found any better time to prune than in 

 summer, as soon as the trees are in full leaf^ and the 

 trees have commenced to make a new growth. The 

 wounds made at this time will commence to heal over 

 immediately, and where small branches are removed on 

 rapidly growing trees, the wounds will usually be entirely 

 covered with new wood by the end of the season^ and 

 where larger branches are cut off . the exposed Vv'ood will 

 become well seasoned, and so hardened during- the warm 

 weather, that it will seldom commence to decay before it 

 is entirely overgrown. The next best season is in the 

 fall after the wood is ripe^ for in cool climates the ex- 

 posed wood v>'ill become dry. and hardened before the sap 

 commences to flow in spring. 



The conifers and other evercrreens will submit to the 

 knife and the pruning saw. as well as deciduous trees, 

 and when raised for timber, will need pruning as often, 

 and in about the same manner. When raised for orna- 

 mental purposes, the pruning will be mainly for the pur- 

 pose of giving them the required form, although thin- 

 ning out, and shortening the branches at the time of 

 transplanting, is as beneficial as it is with deciduous 

 trees, but it it is not so generally practised. Evergreens 

 may be headed back or trimmed up in order to make 

 them grow tall and slender, or broad and stocky. With 

 the natural conical sliaped evergTcens, like the spruces 

 and balsams, many persons dislike to cut out the leading 



