74 



THE SMALL COUNTRY PLACE 



rows or other neglected places, are well established in 

 good soil; and with a little care, a little manure, fertil- 

 izer or mulch during the dry weather of summer, they 

 will start into a most vigorous growth and reach ma- 

 turity much quicker than those transplanted from other 

 places. Trees under these conditions are often of very 

 imperfect shape and may require heroic treatment to 

 put them into condition for ornamental uses. When 

 trees are growing close together the 

 branches are set very high on the 

 trunk, thus making it difficult to pro- 

 duce a low headed, well formed tree. 

 This is overcome by pruning as in 

 Fig. 1 8. If a close growth in the form 

 of a grove is not desired, we must thin 

 out the poorest, leaving such as may 

 be desired, and by cutting back the 

 top, as here illustrated, sometimes 

 with small trees to a bean pole con- 

 dition, start a new head at the desired 

 height. Larger trees with several 

 main branches may be treated in a 

 similar manner, cutting these branches 

 back to stubs a foot or more in length, 

 FIG. is A Tail Young from which new branches will soon 

 StonTto^bSck' to start. After cutting back in this 



make it Branch Low. manner the ends Q f the CUtS should 



be covered with paint to prevent decay. When the 

 new sprouts begin to grow from the top of the pole, 

 or the stubs, they should be carefully examined and 

 the ends of all not needed to form a good head three 

 or four from each top or stub pinched back so as to 

 force the growth where it is desired. There should be 

 one central shoot or leader and three or four side branches 

 well distributed on all sides of the top, and thus a well- 



