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the permanent trees and cut out when the slower growing ones 
have grown tall enough to give the required shade. 
The holes for the trees should be a foot and a half wide and of 
the same depth. The earth taken out should be mixed with 
cow-dung or other manure and replaced in the hole. 
The trees should in most cases, at least near villages, be pro- 
tected with bamboo or other guards to prevent injury by goats or 
cattle, which will otherwise destroy, or at least so hurt the tree, 
that it will never grow satisfactorily. It would indeed be pre- 
ferable to prevent natives pasturing their animals along the 
roadsides altogether if possible. 
As the tree grows the unnecessary boughs should be cut off If 
it bifurcates low down it is best to cut off one of the shoots, and 
allow one only to grow. This should be done as young as pos- 
sible, as it inflicts less injury upon the tree, and is also a less waste 
of wood, which would have gone into the main stem. 
Pruning should be done with a sharp parang, and even in the 
case of large boughs with the saw. The ends of the boughs 
should be cut smooth. To break or hack a bough irregularly 
leaving a split irregular stump is most injurious as this end in- 
variably dies, fungi and insects attack it, and the decay may pe- 
netrate from a single injury like this into the trunk and kill the 
tree. Which are the proper boughs to cut off can only be learnt 
by experience. Erect shoots parallel to the axis of the tree 
may always be removed except in the case of the few trees which 
have habitually erect or nearly erect trees, such as the Gelam 
tree. 
Boughs which straggle too much, leaving the centre of the tree 
bare should be cut back so as to produce growth towards the 
centre. The object of all pruning should be rather to get a small 
number of large boughs than a great man}' small ones, as the 
tree is then of a better shape and produces less dead wood. 
Some trees, like the Poinciana, have a tendency to throw out 
long straggling shoots which should be rigorously cut back. The 
Poinciana when at the height required may be heavily lopped, as 
it will then throw out shoots in such a way as to make a compact 
regular crown, and will flower far better than when left to grow 
anyhow. 
If the tree throws out shoots from the base of the stem they 
should be cut off as soon as possible, as they only weaken the 
tree. 
In cutting large boughs care must be taken to slope the cut 
end, so that water does not lodge there and set up decay, other- 
wise a hole may be formed which may penetrate into the main 
stem and break up the tree. This lodging of water and conse- 
quent destruction by decay is an additional reason for prevent- 
ing trees from bifurcating low down. The Poinciana is peculiar- 
ly liable to destruction in this way. Earth, partly brought by 
insects, partly drifted into the fork, holds the rain which runs 
down the trunk, and a portion of the wood dies. Then fungi, 
termites and other insects continue the destruction till one of 
