of the ground. In fact it is much safer to let the 

 ground freeze hard before the mulch is put on. By 

 that time the mice and other rodents have ''holed 

 up" for the winter and are not likely to come out 

 again before spring. If the mulch is put on too early 

 the mice are almost certain to nest in it and will 

 certainly chew the bark off of the trees. Therefore, 

 if you do mulch, do it late in the fall. 



''When shall I trim them?" Forget it. Do not 

 trim them at all. You cannot improve an evergreen 

 by trimming. It spoils their shape and delays their 

 development. The single, possible exception is an 

 arbor vitae hedge. That may be trimmed quite 

 severely and the neat appearance of the hedge very 

 much improved thereby; but it will not work with 

 any of the others. It is a safe rule never to trim 

 evergreen till they are twenty feet high, and even 

 then the pruning should be confined to the dead 

 branches. 



The same thing can be said of most of the broad- 

 leaved trees, especially when grown for a wind- 

 break. The willow may be an exception. Under 

 some conditions it may be well to cut the tops off the 

 willows to make them bushier. But do not trim or 

 let anyone else trim the side branches off of your 

 small trees. The reduction of the leaf surface reduces 

 the rate of growth. The pull of the wind on the little 

 feather duster top whips the tree about and loosens 

 its connections with the ground. The lower limbs 

 will come off in time and the tree will assume its 

 natural shape. It is pretty hard for man to improve 

 on that . 



22 



