Hfter=XEreatment. 157 



understood from the beginning which are to remain and 

 which must be removed; and to make this arrangement 



doiiblv safe, each class should be marked <>n the working 

 drawing in a different manner. From an economical point 

 this may not come amiss in places where woods are scarce; 

 in fact, in such localities the park and garden could be made 

 to supply all the wood needed for home consumption. 



In pruning flowering shrubs the branches must not be 

 mutilated so as to destroy the spray or the flower-buds. 

 It is better simply to remove older and more or less useless 

 branches, as the natural grace of trees and shrubs is often 

 totally destroyed by severe pruning. The object of prun- 

 ing is to regulate the growth and to increase the vigor of 

 young plants, or simply to remove offending or decayed 

 parts, or to keep strong growing specimens within proper 

 bounds, for a time at least. Summer pruning is best for all 

 flowering shrubs and for many fruit-trees. It consists in 

 the nipping off of very vigorous shoots which threaten to 

 absorb all the nutriment, and to force such nutriment into 

 the weaker shoots which are left undisturbed. This will 

 encourage the formation of fruit-spurs in such trees as 

 apples and pears, and the setting and ripening of flower-buds 

 in many ornamental shrubs. Winter pruning, as far as 

 shade-trees, flowering shrubs, and fruit-shrubs of the currant 

 family are concerned, consists merely in a thinning out of 

 crowded and crippled or old and sterile branches, and can 

 be done at any time in winter. Where it is necessary to 

 remove large branches the wound should be covered with 

 tar or some other sticky matter to prevent the stump from 

 rotting or splitting. To some trees, such as plums and 



