FEBRUARY. 



341 



In simply heading-in small shoots of either trees or 

 shrubs, it is well to make the cut just above and rather 

 close to a bud, so that no wood will project beyond after 

 the buds starts into growth. 



Almost all kinds of trees, with close-growing heads, 

 may by pruning low at the start, be kept shrub-like in 

 general form, with the head starting at the ground. In 

 any large garden some Maples, Oaks, Beeches, Planes, 

 Horse-chestnuts, etc., are very pleasing in this shape, 

 when growing on knolls or at one side of ample areas of 

 grass. 



In shrubs, while the careful training of some to par- 

 take of tree-like forms, with low, clean trunks, is desir- 



Fig. 134.— NEGLECTED SHRUBS. Fig. 135.— SHEUBS PROPERLY PRUNED. 



able for the sake of variety — and almost any kind can be 

 thus grown if pains are taken — still the bush form is or- 

 dinarily the preferable one. 



Figure 134 shows forms of shrubs often met with, 

 which have been allowed to grow at random and strag- 

 gling by inattention. Lilacs, Snowballs, Purple Fringes, 

 etc., of this shape abound; by pruning, they might ex- 

 actly as well be kept in such pleasing forms as are indi- 

 cated in figure 135. While generally, rounded outlines 

 like these must be regarded as the finest for the flowering 

 shrubs, each kind has peculiarities of habit, wliich should 

 be preserved in a measure when the knife is used among 

 them. 



