FOR THE HOME BEAUTIFUL 83 



thoroughly with the soil, or scatter it on top of the 

 ground, rake or hoe it in, and let the rains take 

 its substance down to the roots. 



When planting Deciduous Shrubs, it is usually 

 advisable to prune the tops, so as to throw the 

 strength to the roots. Also cut away with a sharp 

 knife, any parts of roots that may have become 

 badly bruised or broken in digging or packing. 



PRUNING. So many make the mistake of 

 pruning their Shrubs in winter or very early in 

 spring, or worse yet, leaving this important task 

 to the "man of all work," or to the itinerant, who 

 knows less than nothing about what should and 

 should not be done. 



The early flowering Shrubs produce their flowers 

 on the wood of the previous seasons' growth, there- 

 fore if pruning is done in the winter or early 

 spring, this growth is largely cut away, with a 

 resultant loss of the bloom. 



The time to prune these Shrubs is right after 

 they have finished blooming, then they will produce 

 a new supply of wood this season, and bloom 

 abundantly again the following Spring. 



The proper planting and care of Shrubs is but 

 a simple matter, easily understood if one will only 

 take time to learn the rules of the game, and 

 certainly each moment so spent, in the learning 

 and in the planting, will return large dividends in 

 both pleasure and satisfaction. 



