THE 



GARDENER'S MONTHLY 



AND 



HORTICULTURIST. 



DEVOTED TO HORTICULTURE, ARBORICULTURE AND RURAL AFFAIRS. 



Edited by THOMAS MEEHA.N. 



Yol. XXII. 



FEBRUARY, 1880. 



Number 254. 



Flower Garden and Pleasure Ground. 



SEASONABLE HINTS. 



When we spoke recently of pruning trees, it 

 is hoped the frequently seen hacking of street 

 trees was not understood. In most of our large 

 cities, street trees have disappeared, in some 

 cases because of gas at the roots through escapes 

 from the pipes ; m other cases because large flat 

 flag-stones have been placed close up to the 

 trunks instead of leaving a few feet open and 

 covered by an iron or wooden grating; in some 

 others because horses have been allowed to 

 gnaw the bark off; but in most instances from 

 the annual visit of the tree-pruner. A tree 

 seems to grow very strong after its head has 

 been cut away ; but the effort really weakens its 

 constitution, and every experienced person 

 knows that such annually pruned trees die young. 

 This pruning generally is without any reason, — 

 but sometimes it is a necessity from an improper 

 kind of tree having been selected. 



Some people must have " fast growing " trees, 

 at any sacrifice ; but when they get so tall that 

 only tlie chimney pot is shaded, they have to 

 cut back so as to make a leafy growth to screen 

 the parlor windows or front door. Again trees 

 are often selected for comparatively narrow 

 side walks, which naturally make trunks eight 

 or nine feet round when full grown, and there is 

 not room to spare for them. The annual trim- 



ming of the top, by weakening the constitution? 

 prevents the increase of girth in the trunk, and 

 thus longevity has to be sacrificed through this 

 early mistake. Much of these mistakes in plant- 

 ing comes from reliance on tree peddlers, or from 

 nurser}"^ growers who are not well versed in their 

 profession. Believing that all people want a 

 great deal of bulk for a very little cash, they 

 naturally run on trees that will make three or 

 four inches of girth in a couple of 3'ears, rather 

 than one that will take four or five to reach the 

 same size. They get mouej* sooner, and the 

 customer pays less. But all people are not like 

 i this ; there are many who want permanently good 

 things, if they onl}' know what they are, and 

 there are no greater benefactors to this class of 

 people than writers like the Ellwangers, Bar- 

 rys, Parsons, etc., who have of late given a 

 world of information about ornamental trees. 

 Also, we must have a word of caution against 

 the evergreen pruner. In our mind as we write, 

 we have Germantown with its immense number 

 of tasteful and well kept places, but with one at 

 least in which are some hundreds of Xorway 

 Spruces all cut into a sort of egg-shaped figure, 

 and looking for all the world like the green 

 moss-made to)'s which children have about 

 Christmas time. For what purpose this unusual 

 expense is a mystery ; for there is not the merit 

 of art in this clipping, as is often claimed for 



