A YEAR'S CYCLE IN THE GARDEN i6i 



seem to need so they can be spread out com- 

 fortably. Cut off clean, any broken or ragged roots. 

 The pruning of the head is more difficult and de- 

 pends on the kind of tree you want. If simply a 

 dwarf of standard shape, cut back the branches 

 to three or four and shorten these to several inches. 

 For trained trees to grow on walls or a trellis, cut 

 back all but the number of branches you want, and 

 trim these to a whip or single stem. These are to 

 be tied to the support in the form you decide on — 

 fan-shaped, U-shaped or single, diagonal cordon, etc. 

 Sift the soil about the fine roots and firm it down, 

 emphasizing this firming process till the hole is 

 filled, when a layer of loose soil may be left on top 

 to prevent evaporation. 



Grapes. Prune the roots, as directed above, and 

 cut back the top close to the ground-level if this has 

 not been done in the nursery. 



Bush Fruits. Take similar care of the roots but 

 leave two or three strong stems two feet long or so. 

 These will be the bearers the second year. 



Strawberries. There is no pruning save the 

 trimming of the roots necessary in planting straw- 

 berries. More care should be taken to keep them 

 moist, however, and to avoid planting them so 

 deeply as to cover the crowns. 



In planting all the other fruits it is well to set 

 them a trifle, perhaps an inch, lower than they were 

 in the nursery row. 



As I have said, do not follow these directions 

 literally, in the face of common sense. If it is ob- 

 viously too wintry, even at the end of March, 



