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Show PRACTICAL METHOD FOR PLANTING TREES STRAIGHT Piece of Timber with Notch in Middle is Handy How to Prune for Best Results By E. R. Myers. Method for Planting Trees Straight. An excellent method for planting trees straight is a follows: First stake off the ground, then take a piece of inch lumber 1x2 of sufficient suf-ficient length to reach across the hole or excavation; bore a -inch hole in each end, cut a notch in the middle to accommodate the tree trunk, A. Make or have the blacksmith black-smith make two -inch iron pins one foot long with ring in one end, C. To use, place the board into a notch A, shove your pins Well down in soil through holes B, B. Withdraw one and swing the stick around like a gate, replace the pin in the ground to mark the place, then dig the hole lo accommodate tree, swing the stick back in place, replace pin in hole through the stick and into the hole in the ground put the stock of tree into notch A, and fill in the dirt and it will set straight with the other stakes. As ornamental trees and shrubs are pruned to aid in the production of flowers and foliage, the flowering season sea-son necessarily controls the time of pruning. Many of the early blooming shrubs develop their flowers the year before; with these heavy pruning should be de layed until just after their flowering season, Deutzia, spirea, forsythia and many other popular shurbs are of this character. Soon after their flowering season is over they begin to develop buds for the next year. Shrubs needing heavy trimming should be pruned in early winter. This will result in larger blooms on the remaining buds. Such plants as the hydrangea and the clematis, which make their flowering buds on shoots grown the same year, should be pruned heavily while dormant, as this will give a greater profusion of shoots on which to develop new buds. When pruning hardy deciduous flowering flow-ering shrubs all deadwood should becut out, straggling branches either shortened short-ened or removed and all suckers arising aris-ing from the roots should be destroyed. de-stroyed. N Where shrubs ai'e planted in clumps branches should be cut out. It is a good idea to cover the wounds with white lead or grafting wax, as if a stub is left uncovered the healing of the wound will be left until the stub is rooted out and the rotting stub will be a lodging place for bacteria and fungus. Cut the branch off clean and close to the main stem, avoiding any stub, and cover the wound with grafting graft-ing wax melted and applied hot. |