When an expert arboriculturist transplants ornamental trees from the forest, such as maple, elm, or basswood, he saws off the entire top, leaving only a bare stem, like a hop-pole. Why does he cut back a tree to such a damaging extent ? Simply to maintain the balance, or equilibrium between the amount of roots and the quantity of branches and twigs. When a tree is dug up, a large proportion of the root is left in the ground, and the top must be cut off in proportion. The great practical lesson to be learned from this fact, is to watch every tree that does not grow as rapidly as it should, and cut away one-fourth, or half, or even all of the top, sometimes leaving nothing but a bare stub. As soon as the roots begin to take a vital hold on the soil, there will be sufficient sap to develop good twigs and buds. A person who does not understand this subject correctly will lack courage to cut off a tree-top. I have cut many fruit trees from April until August, before I could remove enough of the top to induce the tree to send out new buds and to grow vigorously. When a tree does not grow well, I saw the top squarely off a few feet from the ground, and cover the wound with grafting wax.

Many trees die or become feeble because they carry too much top. - Ess. E. Teb.