The first point respects pruning. On no account whatever is the knife to be applied to any of the trees or shrubs, except in the following cases: - for the purpose of cutting out dead wood, branches broken by the wind or by any accident, dead or decayed flowers or fruit, or for removing the suckers or side shoots which come out below the grafts of such species or varieties as have been budded or grafted. No decaying leaves whatever, and no ripe fruit, are on any account to be cut off; but leaves which wither or are killed in the course of the summer may be removed as soon as they are perceived. Pruning is prohibited, in order that every plant may show its natural shape and habit of growth; whether by growing erect, spreading horizontally, or throwing suckers up, or rambling shoots out, on every side. The suckers are not even to be thinned out, but every plant is to be allowed as perfect a freedom of growth as if it were in its native habitat. The only exception is, such climbing, twining, or trailing plants as are to be trained up to the rods or props prepared for them, instead of allowing them to trail on the ground; but this is to be done without cutting off or shortening any of their snoots.
