248 State Horticultural Society. 



Sixth. From llic ignorant owner. 



Seventh. From llic horses and cattle that run at large. 



A few practical thoughts in the line of growing and planting and 

 handling trees. 



First. The best trees are grown in the nursery from seeds, and 

 there well cared for, headed at the proper heighth and, where neces- 

 sary, transplanted once or twice or thrice before planting out in its 

 permanent home. All trees are much more valuable when thus trans- 

 planted. 



Second. Trees must be taken up with plenty of roots, about one 

 foot in diameter for every inch the tree is in diameter at the crown of 

 the roots. 



Third. Handle so that they will not be exposed to the air any longer 

 then absolutely necessary, cover all roots with wet straw or wet sacks 

 as soon as dug. Do not bruise root or top. 



Fourth. Pruning, trim so that there will always be some of the one- 

 year-old wood left on the tree. Cut back tops so 'that it will compensate 

 for the roots cut off. 



Fifth. In lawn planting always plant in clumps or groups. The 

 beauties of the tree are much more prominent when broad patches of 

 green grass intervene between the clumps of trees. It makes a setting 

 for the trees a frame work for the picture. This is always a safe, sure, 

 and satisfactory plan. 



Another great mistake is in thinking that trees are not beautiful until 

 they become large. There is just as much beauty and sometimes I 

 think more too, in small shapely, thrifty, vigorous growing trees, be 

 it apple, pear, peach, maple, elm, evergreen or shrub, than there is in 

 the full grown specimens. To a lover of trees, the beauty and pleas- 

 ure they give is a continual one, the first of spring, the middle of summer, 

 the autumn or the winter, all have their attraction. 



Sixth. The plan of pruning is to have an ideal tree always in 

 mind. What is an ideal? I think it is one with a center trunk with all 

 the branches coming out of the main trunk at as near right angles as 

 possible and scattered all along the entire trunk. 



Keep the main center stem longer than any of the others and 

 prune in a rather pyramidal form. All trees thus pruned will make a 

 symmetrical growth and you will hardly have forks to split or break 

 downs by heavy winds or snow or ice. Something in the shape of a 

 Norway spruce is near the plant I like to carry in my mind. I know 

 it is hard to realize this ideal in many of our trees, but if we will 

 have it in mind all the time we will gradually bring the tree to its 

 ideal in a few years. I have a soft maple in my back yard that is 



