PLANTING HINTS 217 



leader may be cut if the tree tends to grow too 

 tall and open, and a new leader will soon take its 

 place. Spruces which have become very open and 

 ragged may be severely headed -back, and the 

 interior of the top will finally feather out and fill 

 up. Of course, the lower limbs should never be 

 removed from spruces, for the beauty of the tree 

 lies in its pyramidal and half -formal figure. 



A few trees and shrubs demand a special prep- 

 aration of the land. This is true of the Jhardy 

 rhododendrons, and, to some extent, of kalmias 

 and andromedas (pages 227, 231). They thrive 

 best in a soil containing much leaf -mold. It is 

 a good practice to remove the soil to a depth of 

 two feet and fill the place with woods earth. In 

 the North, rhododendrons should be partially 

 screened from winter and spring suns by planting 

 them near or among deciduous trees. 



In the planting of any kind of trees, it is well 

 to remember that nursery -grown specimens gen- 

 erally transplant more readily and thrive better 

 than trees taken from the wild; and this is par- 

 ticularly true if the stock was transplanted in the 

 nursery. Trees which transplant with difficulty, 

 as the papaw or asimina, and some nut trees, may 

 be prepared for removal by cutting some of their 

 roots, and especially the tap-root, if they have 

 such, a year or two in advance. 



In making borders of flowers, the most satisfac- 

 tory results are obtained if a large clump of each 



