FOREST TREES. 
371 
sprays as arc in situations no longer provided with the necessaries 
for the use of sprays. 
If I have succeeded in the attempt to show the necessity of sprays 
being shed, let not any pruner, blinded with his own sufficiency, 
imagine this circumstance in favour of pruning. Perhaps it may be 
said, that it is shown that pruning is a natural operation in the growth 
of trees, and man, when he performs the work, is assisting nature. 
But nature does not want this kind of assistance. The only way in 
which nature can be assisted in the growth of trees, if assistance it 
must be called, is by improving the situation, and increasing, or 
bettering the food of the tree. As for instance, the growth of a tree 
may be encouraged by the removal of surrounding trees; by improv¬ 
ing the soil in which it grows; or by protection from any injury it 
may be liable to. The knife cannot be used on the live part of a tree 
without inflicting an injury, and lessening the growth. The sprays 
that drop off of themselves are not shed because they were robbers, 
but because their situation had become, by the growth of surrounding 
sprays, unfit, by being made too limited or too dark. Nor do the 
pruners know which sprays have sufficient room when they cut 
away so unhesitatingly ? If they cut away sprays where there is 
room for their growth, they, in addition to the injury, by the irre¬ 
parable blemish inflicted in cutting the wood, retard the growth of 
the tree. And if they cut away sprays that would of themselves 
drop off, their labour is useless, and most likely injurious, as the 
sprays would be removed before there was any necessity* It is 
worthy of remark, that the young shoots, which seldom fail to show 
themselves after the pruner s operations, are never to be seen where 
sprays naturally separate themselves from the tree. All kinds of 
timber trees practice this natural pruning, but few, that I have 
observed, in so perfect a manner as the Oak.” 
Chapter 3rd _On the power of trees to send forth sprays in every 
suitable situation. Chapter Ath, commences with pruning, wherein 
he maintains that all pruning necessarily affects and retards the 
growth of trees. In Chapter 5th.—The author maintains that no 
timber is improved in quality by pruning, but on the contrary, is 
of less value than that which never was pruned. [See our extract on 
this subject page 191.] In Chapter Qth .—Pruning to improve the 
shape is treated on and deprecated as useless; and lastly, advice is 
given on cutting down timber. Although the subject of pruning 
has been much investigated, both in our Register and various other 
works, and the majority appear to advocate early and judicious prun¬ 
ing, and although Mr. Ballard condemns pruning altogether, not as 
