GENERAL CULTURE 207 
verted wedge, and thus there is full exposure 
to sunlight all the way to the very bottom. 
Across the top it may be flattened or slightly 
rounded, according to preference. 
This shaping must be started early so that 
the lowest branches may never be over- 
shadowed at any time in their growth, other- 
wise irreparable damage may be done them 
right at the beginning. Growth upward may 
be allowed to proceed somewhat more freely 
during the second summer, but two shearings 
in a season are always necessary to insure the 
dense, compact, impenetrable wall of green 
which is the ideal for the trained hedge. 
Evergreen hedges cannot of course be sub- 
jected to such severe pruning any more than 
evergreen trees, nor do they need to be. The 
natural slope in toward the top of an ever- 
green like the arbor vitae is an excellent model 
for the slope which all hedges should assume, 
not only for the sake of promoting their lower 
growth, but as a safeguard against overweight- 
ing with ice and snow in winter. 
THE END 
