THE JOYOUS ART OF GARDENING 



and finger nail, and if it shows green underneath, the plant is 

 alive, no matter how dead it looks, but it should be cut back 

 "hard." The reason for this is not far to seek: the shrub is 

 exhausted — has become anaemic, if one may use that expres- 

 sion of a plant — and the less top the less work the roots have 

 to perform. Therefore cut it back, mulch heavily with manure, 

 and it will come back to health and usefulness much more 

 quickly than if allowed to blossom the approaching season. 



Treatment of Invalid Shrubs. — Shrubs that are suffering 

 from "general debility" should be treated in the same manner 

 and cut back hard. Their illness may be due to late planting 

 the previous year and not having been pruned when planted, 

 so that the unfortunate shrub had to try to blossom as usual 

 though struggling for its mere existence. The only remedy 

 in such a case is cutting back and giving the plant a kind of 

 "rest-cure." 



How TO Prune Roses 



Most important of the early-spring pruning is that of the 

 roses. In the South the pruning of roses is done in the winter- 

 time — ^usually in January; in the North it should be done 

 before the second week in March — ^before the sap begins to 

 run. In fact, if at that time your roses are not pruned it is 

 better to let them alone for another year. 



First cut out every dead branch. To make sure that the 

 branch is dead scrape the bark sHghtly with your thumb- 

 nail; if a greenish tinge shows underneath it is ahve, however 

 appearances are against it. Always cut off a branch close to 

 the stem, even if you have to push back the earth to accom- 

 plish this. When stumps of dead branches are left — the usual 

 practice — they make most attractive places for the board 

 and lodging of insects. Make a clean cut, don't tear the bark 



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