THE FLOWER GARDEN. 



839 



effects of drought upon tlie surface round the roots of newly- 

 planted trees. Gardeners mulch with rich dung, when they 

 wish to convey manure to the roots of trees or plants without 

 disturbing the ground round their roots. Liquid manure an- 

 swers the same purpose. But in the case of mulching shrubs 

 or ornamental trees, where the intention is to keep the mould 

 round their roots moist, and not to manure them ; any refuse 

 matter may be used with equal success. 



PRUNING. 



Hardy trees and shrubs may be pruned, if the weather be 

 not very severe, but with the more delicate, as well as with all 

 evergreens, the operation s^iould be deferred till March. This 

 is an operation too generally neglected ; the consequence of 

 which is, the miserable dead-and-alive specimens of shrubs 

 which we so often see, as well as misshapen trees, which, 

 with a little management, might have been very ornamental. 

 All plants and trees, whether cultivated for their fruits or for the 

 beauty of their flowers, require and should have an annual gene- 

 ral pruning or arrangement of their branches, and this pruning 

 should be performed more or less, according to the sort of beauty 

 or effect expected from them. Those which are cultivated 

 chiefly on account of their flowers, should in all cases be 

 pruned upon the same general principles as fruit-trees ; that 

 is, all wood slioiild be removed that has a tendency to ex- 

 haust or weaken the tree or plant by an unnecessary profusion 

 of leaves and branches. Those which are grown chiefly on 

 account of their foliage, should be less pruned, merely taking 

 away all weak shoots, or part of those that are stronger, where 

 they appear too crowded. Those which are cultivated for the 

 beauty of their natural shape or general outline, require little 

 or no pruning, except it may be the removal of those branches 

 which may have been accidentally injured. Of this descrip- 

 tion are all those trees which stand singly upon the lav.n, 

 grass-plats, &c., and all specimens of trees in the arboratani. 

 No one can expect to have fine shrubberies, nor even fine trees, 

 without the use of the pruning-knife, if for no other purpose 

 than the removal of dead and misplaced spray. In pruning 



