V ,il-
"ta its Sld3 branches ; and by avoiding to trai.t np a shrub with t
and h rs“|iL r b i¥ e T a ¥ 's ; " o ‘r a ] E r i ¥ ¥ S i s ‘Yofen"ife
loYSds a r ] S f e ¥ r iy " , '¥ i 4 " t o Y s : z™ T bY M oY “ £ ' ? i ; r s S r s " e S t o Y x s A Y r r rY i g e “)
"'"“ ‘ta- -o » ■“ * — »o ~
/ / ° - / ^ ‘G.’sg e 7 ic r f rides foi- pruning are : — “ No branches to be cut off which do not interfere wiH,
au tum ? » ’ TLLFfe"? f otherwise made to be larger than an inch in diameter ; and no pruninT
S K - K p S p E i S I S « ^ s i #
e / s n c . , 2d edit. § 3994.) In the tenth volume of the Gar>t;«er’s Ma<’a%ine will be fonml
a most valuab e paper on pruning both resinous and soft-wooded trees, by Mr. Burto? I t ¥ full S re?
practical views, the result of physiological knowledge, and half a c eX rV of exner « i f Sfe
"ta ‘’“‘ta“ "““ »to in onr F ir .,
^7'ces, Pontey and Sang agree, should not be pruned a t so earlv an age as fhe rum
/ I f f / Z commences about th e sixth or eighth year, according to t h e i strength or vig?>?i'
s t? h / 4 ■ A"®';® ®?e O’’ two tiers of branches at once. Pontey, when the plants i r e • f f f i
?fter v^hiL F i™ ° ‘«'o, or a t most three, tters of the fow?r b r i n c h i f
ta fis S K S r E i "
not ra.rettfri® K*'"ui"®A'ii ‘L '’ P’"®®- ®‘‘®’ larches, or deciduous trees of any sort, is highlv iniurioiV
LFe L f L f r ft,® lfex"t, but to the perfection of th e wood. If a sufflcient numbfer of b r S f s
i ill b i nisfe ii f f f f ? P ^®i P f f ®® abundance of leaves, perfectly to concoct its juice, the fh iib S
7®‘® f’’" " pifeh™g?ff?TrS™1ie to ? ff li, the Mridlnf bids‘'? f the ride
S i i V? fe ®*'’ / M",Ma>" lias shown in the article above referred to, is particulaily a p iic a b le tfe
m m s m M s m
nmands 01 the artist. fTrhe prunning of all dmeciduous trees shoumld bo begun a t the tomn or .!t fo-ist tiivfe
f i?fefe®^ 'vhich are to be removed from thence should never be lost sight of. Having fixed unon «-b fe
rl™n bvYl.Yii.f“ ","® "’■■"»to»' HP»“ ” » « 'i“ g l:i required, than simply to lop off the
f reAnored or ? s f e ir i *'®"®®*' ‘he one side than the other, they should lith e i
E E ^ i f £ E ? i ¥ p H ~
o v S ^ io n irec srrs stole we have already stated to be an important
bFgun to ' crew frieW s b o f ^ i f e ^ ’5®®,®'' ye^;s. planted. Sang directs that such as have not
KJU.,IT ^ ’ s p.L 397.)^'L i / b L Buffon, in a a rnemonal memorial on th e culture of woods, presented
presented to the French government in
n t so often, that he cnnritfor! i> the most useful practice he
.581,9. For Ike purpo.e ofproducins bcnd.for ,hip timber, variou. modes ojprmning bave been proposed.
According to Pontey, “ little is hazarded hy saying that, if plenty of long, clean, straight, free-grown
trees could be got, boiling und a screw apparatus would fonn bends.” Monteath, a timber valuator of
great experience, and in extensive practice, says, the value of the oak, the broad-leaved elm, and Spanish
chestnut, depends a good deal on their being crooked, as they are all used in ship-building. He says ho
has seen trees successfully trained into crooked shapes of great value, in the following manner :—“ If
you have an oak, an elm, or a chestnut, th at has two stems, as it were, striving for the superiority, lop or
prune off the straightest stem ; and if a tree that is not likely to be of such value be standing on that side
to which the stem lei't seems to incline to a horizontal position, take away the tree, and tlms give the
other every chance of growmg horizontally. At this time it will be necessary to take away a few of the
perpendicular shoots off the horizontal branch ; and, indeed, if these branches, which is sometimes the
case in these trees, seem to contend, take away most of them ; but if they do not, it is better at this
time not to prune these trees over-much, except the crooked shoots on the horizontal branch, till they
arrive at the height of 1.5 ft. or even 20 ft. By this time it will be easily seen what kind of tree it is
likely to form ; and, if it inclines to grow crooked, lighten a little the top o fth e tree, by taking off a few
of the crooked branches on th e straighter side, allowing all the branches to remain on the side to which
the tree inclines to crook, to give it more weight, and to draw most of the sap or juicc th at way, and it
will naturally incline more to the crook ; a t the same time clearing away any other tree on the crooked
side, th at may be apt, with the wind, to whip the side of the tree which inclines to crook, also taking
away such tree of less value as may prevent it from spreading out to the one side more than to the
other.” He adds, “ I have myself tried the experiment with several oak trees at about 12 ft. high that
were a little inclined to crook, and that had also a main branch inclined to a horizontal position. In
the course of less than twenty years I had the pleasure of seeing some of these very trees grow so very
crooked that the branch would work in with the main stem or body of the tree, to a complete knee, or
square, which is the most valuable of all trees. And as ten trees of crooked oak are required for one
straight one, it is of the most essential consequence to have crooked oak trees ; and, besides, an oak
tree properly crooked, th a t will answer for a large knee, say the main branch, to be fit to work in with
the body or tru n k of the tree w ithout much waste of wood, is nearly double in value to the same number
of straight trees ; and, indeed, knees of oak are extremely scarce, and difficult to be got.”
5870. Pontey “ knows of no way by which bends of tolerable scantlings (knees excepted) can be produced
with certainty and little trouble, but from a side branch kept 1n a bent position by the branches of
another tree or trees overhanging its stem.” {Forest Pruner, p. 174.)
5871. Matthew, in his directions for training trees so as to produce crooked timbers for shipbuilding,
sometimes employs force to retain entire trees, or their branches, in particular positions, sometimes
heads down the main stem, and depends on the crooked form of the branches ; but he chiefly depends
upon the effect of one tree upon another when planted close together, or, in other words, on accident
{On Naval Timber, &c., p. 30.)
5872. Munro, in order to produce crooked timber, has recourse to oak stools, from the young shoots
produced by which he selects four or five of the strongest, and cuts off all the others. The selected shoots
he then trains outwards by pegging, or otherwise fastening them to, or near to, the ground; bearing in
mind that, whatever be the curve required, the shoot must ahvays be kept straight in the direction of its
length. {Gard. Mag., vol. ix. p. 5.59.)
5873. Coppice-woods, in so far as grown for poles or barks, require pruning on the same principle as
timber trees, in order to modify the ligneous matter into stem, and produce clean bark. In as far as they
are grown for fence wood, fuel, or besom spray, no pruning is required.
5874. Osier-hoUs only require the laterals to be pinched off th e shoots intended for hoops : those for
th e basket-maker seldom produce any. The stools also require to be kept free from dead wood and
stunted knotty protuberances.
6875. Hedgerows require side priming, or switching, from their first planting, so as gradually to mould
them into “ the wedge shape, tapering from bottom to top on both sides equally, till they meet in a point
a t the top. Two feet a t bottom is a sufficient breadth for a 5-feet hedge; a greater or a less height should
have the bottom wider or narrower accordingly. In dressing young hedges, either of the deciduous or
evergreen kinds, th e .«ides only should be cut till the hedge arrive at the proposed height, unless it be
necessary, for the sake of shelter, to cut their tops over, in order to make the hedge thicker of branches.
Such cutting of the upright shoots, however, is not of any very great use in this re sp e c t; because every
hawthorn hedge sends out a number of side shoots, which, if encouraged, by keeping the top narrow as
above, will make it abundantly thick.” {Sang, p. 447.) In pruning hedges, some use shears ; but the
hedge-bill {Jig. 370.) is the most proper instrument, and prunes a smooth, unfractured section, not
so apt to throw out a number of small useless shoots as generally follow the bruised cut of the shears
{fig. 392.).
5876. Hedgerow trees to b e pruned to a tall, erect, clean stem, as a t once producing more
timber and doing least injury to the ground under their drip and shade.
5877. Trees in strips fo r shelter, or screens fo r concealment, ought to be furnished with branches from
the bottom upwards ; unless shrubby undergrowths supply this deficiency. Where this is not the case,
care should be had that the trees be pruned into conical shapes, so that the lower branches may be as
little as possible excluded from the influence of the weather by the upper ones.
5878. Tree.s fo r shade, where shelter from winds is not wanting, should be pruned to ample spreading
heads with naked stems ; the stems should be of such a height that the sun’s rays, a t niid-day, in midsummer,
may not fall within some yards of the base of the t ru n k ; thus leaving, under th e tree, as well
as on its shady side, a space for the repose of men or cattle.
.5879. Trees in parks may be considered as chiefly ornamental; and, for this purpose, should be left with
larger heads than such as are grown chiefly for timber. The height to which the stems are cleared of
branches should vary according to the kind of tree (fig. 956. a to e); and hollies, thorns, and such shnibs
as are left untouched, or th a t are protected by enclosure from the cropping of cattle ( /, g), should be
left entirely to themselves. In parks, where no pruning whatever is given to the timber trees by man,
we find th ey a re all pruned or browsed to a certain height by cattle; this adds to their character as tri os,
but, in flat surfaces, forms a disagreeable repetition of the horizontal line in which they stand. 'I'o break
this browsing line, pruning is a simple, obvious, and effectual resource.
5880. Some trees, in pleasure-grounds and latvns, where no cattle ever come, may be allowed to extend
their branches so as they may almost recline on the tu rf ; others may be pruned to different heights,
according to their nature. Limes, planes, cedars, pines, and firs have a fine effect with theiv branches
depending from their trunks ; and give an idea of seclusion and exclusive consecration to man, highly