80 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING 



The best care which can be given is to keep the soil 

 well cultivated like that of a newly planted corn- 

 field, or a well tilled orchard. With such care, young 

 nursery stock will rarely require watering. If for 

 any reason this cultivation cannot be given, a thor- 

 ough mulching would come next in value. Culti- 

 vating and mulching are primarily for the purpose 

 of keeping the soil beneath moist, and incidentally to 

 kill the weeds which would rob the newly planted 

 shrubs of food and water. 



After trees and shrubs are well established, trim- 

 ming is likely to disfigure them. The lower branches 

 of shrubs are really the most important. They 

 spread out over the ground, upon which they often 

 rest. They help to hold the mulching of leaves 

 which should cover the ground underneath them. 

 To trim the outer branches, allowing only the central 

 stems to remain, gives a shrub an unattractive ap- 

 pearance, making it look "stemmy." It is also bad 

 for the health of the shrub, since it allows the wind 

 to blow away the mulching and dry out the ground. 

 Trees growing in the open seldom need any trimming 

 to improve their outlines or appearance. Dead 

 branches should be removed and trees should be 

 trimmed for convenience. If they border a drive, 



