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THE CENTURY BOOR OF GARDENING. 



Philadelphia, Diervilla, Deutzia, Shrubby Honeysuckles, etc. All these are apt to become 

 choked up with old, half-dead or weakly growths, which should be removed. Immediately 

 after flowering is again the best time. Take Philadelphus Lemoinei as an example. To see this 

 lovely shrub at its best, the old-flowering shoots should be cut clean out every year as soon 

 as the flowers are past, say in July. At that time the new growths springing from the base 

 have already become i ft. or more long, and they alone should be left. By this treatment 

 long graceful wands wreathed with fragrant bloom are every year obtained, and the whole 

 plant consists of flowering wood alone. The worst possible form of pruning (one, however, 

 too commonly practised) is an indiscriminate cropping back of all branches without any regard 

 to their age or to the flowering season of the species — in fact, treating a flowering shrub pretty 

 much the same as if it were a Privet hedge. As a rule, mere shortening back of branches 

 should be avoided. A judicious thinning is what is needed. At the same time, autumn- 

 flowering shrubs, and, in fact, all thos3 that flower on the current season's wood, may, if 

 necessary, be cut back' annually almost to the previous year's wood. Such plants, for 

 example, as Spirals of the Bumalda group, Hydrangea paniculata, late-flowering Brooms, and 

 Ceanothus azureus and its varieties, may all be treated thus, especially if grown in beds or 

 groups where it is desirable they should not get beyond a certain height. The best time to 

 prune this class is just before growth begins — as a rule in February — so as to allow as long a 

 season of growth as possible. Forsythias, which flower early and grow rapidly, may be 

 spurred right back as soon as the flowers are past. 



CARE OF OLD TREES. — Bearing some connection to the matter of pruning is that of the 

 care of old trees. Almost every garden contains one or more veterans which either for 

 their botanical interest or for the associations that belong to them are precious to their 

 owners. Some trees again, like )ur native Oak', are picturesque in decay. At any rate, 

 one of the commonest applications made to tree experts is for advice as to the preservation 

 of old trees. The two more immediate causes of premature decay are starvation at the 

 root and injury by storms and disease. Such trees as the Beech and Horse Chestnut 

 that root close to the surface of the soil — quite differently to the Oak — may often be 

 invigorated by covering the ground with a few inches of good soil or short manure. 

 Artificial watering during long drought, provided it is thoroughly done, is another great 

 help. Trees with large crowns of branches are frequently seen thinly furnished with 

 foliage and altogether sickly in aspect owing to unhealthy or insufficient roots. The balance 

 between top and bottom has been destroyed. To restore it in some measure, the top growth 

 may be reduced by pruning out and shortening back' branches here and there, wherever it 

 can be done without spoiling the appearance of the tree. This demands careful judgment, 

 but some old trees in a sickly state can certainly be rejuvenated in this way. It is of 

 no value in the case of trees with decayed trunks, nor with those like our Common Oak, 

 which will not break from old wood. But Elms, Robinias, and Red Oaks are amongst 

 those that respond to this treament. 



Old trees with insecure branches can often be preserved from mutilation by storms if 

 the main branches are fastened together or to the trunk. The common practice of putting 

 an iron collar round the branch should be abandoned. The iron prevents the natural expan- 

 sion of the branch and ultimately chokes it. A better way is to use a strong iron rod with 

 a plate at the end, and, instead of supporting the branch by encircling it, a hole is bored 

 right through the centre of it, through which the rod is pushed from the outer side. In this 

 way the weight is borne by the iron plate, which should, by removing sufficient bark, be 

 allowed to fit close in to the wood. New bark will gradually close over and hide the plate, 

 and instead of an ugly iron collar cutting into the wood the only evidence of artificial aid 

 is the rod coming from the inner side of the branch. 



It is important that branches or snags that have to be removed should always be 

 sawn off quite close to the trunk or larger branch from which they spring. When a stump, 



