“MANAGEMENT OF YOUNG TREES 69 
tied in; and eventually it is possible that they will have 
to be removed altogether, as it is not always easy to keep 
branches of that description tied back within the general 
level of the hedge. Nothing, moreover, gives a worse 
appearance to a hedge or tree than one of these bare 
branches projecting beyond the general level, perhaps 
entirely devoid of young growth. In the case of one of 
these branches that I have described having been allowed 
to grow for some years, and then found necessary to be 
removed by being cut out altogether, the disfigurement 
that will be caused to the hedge or tree will be very 
apparent for some years afterwards; whereas, if such 
branches had been removed each year as they made 
their appearance, no disfigurement would have resulted 
through their removal; rather would the growth be 
improved to a great extent, inasmuch as, where each 
shoot or branch is cut off a number of young growths 
will break away, which will help to give the hedge 
a firm and compact appearance, a thing that is greatly 
fo” be desired in all clipped hedges or trees. For 
the general work of clipping and training trees in the 
Topiary garden, I would strongly recommend that the 
old-fashioned shears be used. ‘There are several 
different makes of clipping shears to be got now. Some 
of them have been given a trial here; but for general 
purposes they were not found to be very well suited to 
the work. There are exceptions, of course, where they 
might be used with advantage, as, for instance, in the 
case of a privet hedge, where the surface is smooth and 
even and the growth soft and easily cut. But for all 
general purposes, the old style of shearsis the best. It 
is very often the case that in the work of clipping a well 
trained tree, it is necessary to cut the growths off one 
by one, and it is in a similar instance that the old- 
fashioned shears with their sharp points have the ad- 
vantage over the newer make of machine. 
