46 Wisconsin State Horticultural Society. 



the fact that the man who would dig such holes would attend to 

 everything properly and see that everything that could be done, 

 was attended to properly and at the right time. Extra care 

 was given to all the other things that were done. If these were 

 attended to, the roots of the trees would soon strike down to 

 where they could get needed food and moisture. Their fruit trees 

 appeared to be very thrifty, and free from blight and disease. 

 Young trees in a sandy soil are more easily affected by heat and 

 drought, for their roots are near the surface, but with age they are 

 more exempt from injury by these causes. 



He had noticed in looking about the city that while trees, 

 shrubbery, vines and other plants made a luxuriant growth their 

 lawns were very defective, having a very light and uneven sward. 

 This was caused by the sandy soil. The grass seed would not 

 catch, or if it did start, the hot sun and dry weather of mid-sum- 

 mer burned it up. The remedy was to cover the surface with a 

 thin coating of clay, then the seed would catch readily. Clay 

 was much better than manure for this purpose as it impacted the 

 soil. Frequent cutting of the grass increasCvi the number of roots, 

 but it made them shorter. It is this repeated clipping that thick- 

 ens up the grass and gives the lawn the carpet-like appearance so 

 often seen. 



Mr, Losey inquired if his success was not due to those large 

 holes, why his trees lived, and those set the other way all died. 



Mr. Plumb replied that many things were essential to success, 

 as good trees, proper treatment of the trees, when dug up, protec- 

 tion of the roots, proper setting, etc., etc. If part or even one of 

 these points is not carefully attended to, the trees suffer, perhaps 

 die. He cited the case of a lady who set out fifty hard maples. 

 They were good trees when set, but were all dying out. On ex- 

 amination to learn the cause, he found that they had been set 

 sixteen inches deep, in a heavy soil, 



Mr. Losey said that he had set elm trees two feet deep, and then 

 in grading the ground, instead of taking up the trees he had filled 

 up around them until their roots were six feet below the surface, 

 yet they did well. If trees are well mulched and watered twice 

 a week, they will live and grow well the first year even if the 



