WHEN TO PLANT 55 



may be cut back a third or half its length, to a 

 mere whip. Ornamental/ bushes with long tops 

 are usually cut back a third or a half when set, 

 as shown in Fig. 150. Full discussions of both 

 pruning and training may be found in " The Prun- 

 ing-Book." 



In general, it is best to set all hardy plants in 

 the fall, particularly if the soil is fairly dry and 

 the exposure is not too bleak. To this class 

 belong most of the fruit trees and ornamental 

 trees and shrubs; also hardy herbs, like colum- 

 bines, peonies, lilies, bleeding -hearts, and the like. 

 They should be planted as soon as they are thor- 

 oughly mature, so that the leaves *begin to fall 

 naturally. If any leaves remain upon the tree 

 or bush at planting time, strip them off, unless 

 the plant is an evergreen. It is generally best 

 aot to cut back fall -plan ted trees to the full 

 extent desired, but to shorten them in three- 

 fourths of the required amount in the fall, and 

 take off the remaining fourth in the spring, so 

 that no dead or dry tips are left upon the plant. 

 Evergreens, as pines and spruces, are not headed- 

 in much, and usually not at all. All tender 

 and very small plants should be set in the spring, 

 in which case very early planting is desirable. 



In well -compacted land, trees and shrubs should 

 be set at about the same depth as they stood in 

 the nursery, but if the land has been deeply 

 trenched or if it is loose from other causes, the 



