194 SOME SPECIFIC ADVICE 



one a low head; and yet persons give the most 

 dogmatic advice upon the pruning of newly -set 

 trees, without once stopping to consider what form 

 or height of tree is to be ultimately obtained. It 

 will be well, therefore, to have a brief discussion 

 of the form of the top before considering the 

 details of practice. 



The form of the top is largely a matter of per- 

 sonal preference, as we have already said ; but 

 there are distinct arguments in favor of various 

 ideals. It is not the province of this book to 

 consider these arguments, for they are not pri- 

 marily matters of pruning. The book desires 

 only to aid the operator in working out his ideal, 

 not in deciding what ideal is best for his condi- 

 tions. Yet a few general hints may be given. 



The mental ideal has freest scope in ornamental 

 plants, for questions of profit and loss enter very 

 little into the problem. As a question of art, it 

 should be said that the natural habit of the plant 

 is, in nearly all instances, far better than an 

 artificial or geometrical habit. This is both be- 

 cause of the greater intrinsic beauty of a free- 

 growing tree or shrub, and because the plant is 

 less important for its own sake than for the part 

 it contributes to the general foliage -mass of the 

 place. These questions are somewhat fully dis- 

 cussed in "Garden -Making." The satisfaction 

 derived from a formal bush resides in the perfect- 

 ness of its formality. As soon as it becomes 



