174 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



for a background and the pictorial effect thus secured is a vast improve- 

 ment over that of the building which stands out against the bare skyline. 



LOCATING SHRUBBERY. 



One of the most common mistakes in planting shrubbery is to scatter 

 it about over the lawn in a salt-and-pepper fashion. The way to secure 

 a satisfactory effect is by grouping. Place shrubs in a mass about the 

 border, particularly to screen off the back yard from the front, and in the 

 corners about the porch or along the base of the building. Plant them 

 about 21/^ feet apart, placing the taller kinds, such as the bush honey- 

 suckle and lilac, in the back, with the lower kinds, such as bridal wreath, 

 in front. The shrubs should be cultivated or mulched for the first year 

 or two after planting, after which they become sufficiently established to 

 shade the ground and take care of themselves. 



If flowers are grown primarily for cut flowers, line out in a straight 

 row in the garden where they can be cultivated conveniently. For orna- 

 mental beds, place them in a border 21/2 or 3 feet in width along the front 

 of the shrubbery. Here the shrubbery serves as a background against 

 which the colors stand out much better than they will in the open. More- 

 over, this location avoids cutting the lawn with beds which make unsightly 

 holes during the winter. 



TRIMMING TREES. 



The climate of our state is more or less severe upon tree life of all 

 kinds. Trees are frequently injured by the splitting down of the branches 

 due to sleet storms and severe winds. This condition requires pruning to 

 insure the proper healing over of the wound, otherwise decay enters in 

 and the lifeof the tree may be seriously shortened. In removing injured 

 branches, particular pains should be taken to make the cut up close to 

 the remaining branch and parallel to it. Under these conditions the 

 wound is nourished and gradually heals over. Healing does not take 

 place where a stub is left, and decay gradually works down into the main 

 stem. For cuts over 2 inches in diameter the surface should be coated 

 with thick white lead. 



In this connection the practice of topping back large trees, such as 

 soft maple, should be discouraged. This can in no manner change a soft- 

 wooded tree to a hard-wooded kind, and in the majority of instances the 

 central portion of the large stub dies back and decays, leaving only a 

 shell of live bark around the circumference, and in a few years the tree 

 goes to pieces and is ready for the brush-pile. It must also be remem- 

 bered that the leaf system takes part in the work of digestion and that a 

 large tree entirely defoliated in this fashion has been treated in a very 

 severe manner. 



