48 ELLWANGER & BARRY’S 
Trees with branching heads, should have the small branches cut clean out, and the larger ones, 
intended for the frame work of the tree, cut back to within two or three buds of their base. 
In cases where there is an abundant root, and small top or few branches, the pruning need be very 
light, but where the roots are small and the top heavy, severe pruning will be necessary. These remarks 
are applicable to all deciduous Trees and Shrubs. Evergreens seldom require pruning, but Arbor Vite 
and other Evergreens planted in hedge rows may be advantageously shorn immediately after planting. 
Directions for planting, mulching, staking and after culture, same as for fruit trees (see Hints in Fruit 
Department, page 8). 
PRUNING. 
Pruning, as practiced by some people, has the effect to render trees and shrubs unnatural and inelegant. 
We refer to the custom of shearing trees, particularly conifers, into cones, pyramids and other 
unnatural shapes. Every tree, shrub and plant has a habit of growth peculiar to itself, and this very 
peculiarity is one of its beauties. If we prune all trees into regular shapes we destroy their identity. The 
pruning knife, therefore, should be used to assist nature, and handled with judgment and care; to lop off 
straggling branches, to thin the head of a tree which has become too dense, and to remove dead wood. 
Sometimes it becomes necessary to prune severely to keep a tree from attaining too great size. 
Shearing may be practiced on hedges, but never on trees or shrubs. 
; PRUNING SHRUBS. 
Many persons trim and shear them+into regular shapes, imagining that regular outline adds to their 
effect and beauty. While symmetry and regularity of form are to be admired in a shrub, this quality 
should never be gained at the expense of health and natural grace. 
Each shrub has peculiarities of habit and foliage, and we should aim to preserve them as far as pos- 
sible. Judicious pruning to secure health and vigor is necessary, but trimming all kinds of shrubs into 
one form shows a lack of appreciation for natural beauty, to say the least. Weigelas, Deutzias, Forsy- 
thias and Mock Orange, flower on the wood of the preceding year’s growth, hence these shrubs should 
not be pruned in winter or spring, but in June, after they have finished flowering, when the old wood 
should be shortened or cut out, thus promoting the growth of the young wood, which is to flower the 
following season. 
Spirzeas, Lilacs, Althzeas, and Honeysuckles may be trimmed during the winter or early in spring, 
but the branches should only be reduced enough to keep them in good shape. The old growth should be 
occasionally thinned out and the suckers and root sprouts removed when they appear. The best time, 
however, for pruning all shrubs is when they have done flowering. The Hydrangea paniculata grandi- 
flora should be severely cut back and thinned early in spring. 
PRUNING EVERGREENS.. 
Use the knife occasionally to thicken the growth and preserve the shape. This can be done in April 
or May, just before the trees start to grow. 
