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general, their first years are passed with¬ 
out the slightest heed being given, and it 
is only when the lopping is supposed to be 
large enough to pay for the trouble of 
cutting it, that any attention is given to 
the direction of the stem. In nine cases 
out of ten, by the time indicated, there 
will have risen several aspirants to the 
title of main stem ; the tree has formed 
a head at ten or twelve feet from the 
ground, and this is composed of several 
branches of nearly equal strength, and 
all diverging more or less from the per¬ 
pendicular so much to be desired; and, to 
reduce the tree to anything like the wished- 
for form, all but one has to be cut away. 
Frightful wounds are thus inflicted, which 
usually leave scars which sink gradually 
into the veryheart-wood; and,when cut up 
for boards, a dead spot marks the errors 
of its previous management. Were these 
trees thinned out to something like re¬ 
gular distances, or transplanted into 
orderly rows, and, while young enough 
to be trimmed with a knife, the over 
strong or unnecessary laterals were taken 
off, and the leading shoot trained in an 
upright manner, in a few years they 
might safely be trusted to go alone, and 
in the end would yield an immensely 
greater return in the shape of really 
good and sound timber. 
In advocating early pruning, however, 
we must not be understood to recommend 
the severe course sometimes adopted, by 
which the tree is reduced to a mere pole: 
for we believe in the possibility of erring 
equally by either extreme. The intimate 
connexion universally admitted to exist 
between the several organs of the plant, 
forbids the reception of any theory incul¬ 
cating the idea of benefiting one portion 
at the expense of another, and as the 
probability of a non-pruner falling into 
the opposite error of over-pruning is very 
great, we may be excused entering more 
largely into the subject. It would be 
quite as unreasonable to suppose the 
accumulation of timber should be in¬ 
creased by reducing the roots, as that it 
should occur through the removal of the 
foliage; both are necessary, the one to 
supply the sap or life-blood of the plant, 
which may be regarded as the raw 
material, out of which the wood is to be 
formed, and the other as the means by 
which it is elaborated and brought to the 
required condition; if the proportion of 
either is disturbed to any great extent, 
the action of its opposite will at once 
decline till the level is restored, and thus 
a serious check to the progress of the 
tree is sustained, which may require more 
than one season to recover. 
It is one thing to direct the energies 
of a plant in a certain direction, and 
another to mutilate it so as to destroy 
them, yet in the operation of pruning the 
line of distinction is so obscure as to be 
easily overstepped, and hence the origin 
of many failures. All who grow trees for 
their timber, desire a straight stem, with 
as little “lop” or branches as is con¬ 
sistent with the habit and health of the 
individuals; the due proportion must be 
retained, and no more, or the balk suffers 
either in size or quality ; thick planting 
induces a straight and clear growth, but 
it deteriorates the durability and general 
quality of the timber, and thus we have 
to depend upon pruning for the produc¬ 
tion of really sound useful wood. Most 
timber trees have an inclination in their 
earlier development to form a great 
number of lateral branches, and in our 
opinion the entire amount of ultimate 
success depends upon the management of 
these side branches while they are yet 
young. Supposing the plantation to be 
formed of three or four year old trees, 
the laterals should all be pruned at plant¬ 
ing, taking off about one third the length 
of each; this will leave them of a conical 
form, and allow of an abundance of leaves 
to keep up a healthy action in the roots. 
They should be gone over annually in 
spring, and in subsequent years it will 
be found the branches nighest the summit 
of the plant make the largest comparative 
growth, and by continuing to remove one 
third of their length, we shall gradually 
clear the bottom of all branches, while 
the stopping of those still retained, 
effectually prevents any rivalry between 
them and the leader; this last must, of 
course, be carefully tended, preserving its 
terminal bud by all means, and securing 
it in an erect position; the extra attention 
thus entailed, will necessarily create a 
greater expense in the early management, 
