242 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY 



grown tree, the top will have to be cut back more. In setting, all the 

 spongy leaf-mould should be removed from the roots, for when exposed 

 this porous matter readily dries out. In place of this mould the 

 earth should be most carefully packed about the roots. With forest 

 seedlings it is always best to mulch the surface of the ground about 

 them. 



Puddling Eoots. 



It is now a common practice to puddle the roots of trees by im- 

 mersing them in a thin batter made of clay and water. This keeps the 

 air from robbing the roots of moisture and is a good protection to the 

 roots while planting. Trees that become dried should always be puddled, 

 for it tends to restore them to their natural condition. If trees are 

 badly dried in being shipped, it is often a good plan to bury them, top 

 and all, in moist earth for a few days before planting. 



PLintiiig Yearling Trees. 



A great many planters make a practice of setting large two-year-old 

 nursery trees. Better results can be obtained, however, in the long 

 run by setting one-year-old-trees. Besides costing less and being less 

 expensive to ship, the one-year-old tree is easier to transplant, and a 

 greater proportion of them live. The two-year-old tree has its top 

 formed in the crowded nursery row, and therefore does not develop 

 as well as in the open conditions in the orchard. Many two-year-olds 

 liave to be cut back to such an extent to obtain a good top that they 

 are overtaken by the, one-year-old tree started under more favorable 

 conditions. , ■ 



