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ARBORICULTURE 



How To Select and Plant a Tree. 



Do not choose too large a tree; one 

 of medium size will be preferable. There 

 is nothing gained by planting an over 

 sized tree, the working roots of which 

 were sacrificed in digging. Usually two 

 inches diameter is better than larger. 



The tree should not be cut back 

 when transplanted, as this causes a 

 diseased top. Let the terminal bud con- 

 tinue in its upward growth, heading in 

 such side branches as may be neces- 

 sary to maintain the balance betw^een 

 top and roots. 



See that the tree has all the roots 

 w^hich can be secured in digging. As 

 the tree cannot make growth of top un- 

 til roots are established in the soil. 



The roots w^hich feed and support 

 the tree are the minute fiberous rootlets 

 at the extremities and along the course 

 of the large roots, and these must be 



formed anew before the tree can re- 



• 1 • 



ceive nounsriment. 



Fi>r this reason a small tree having 

 all its roots preserved has a great ad- 

 vantage over a larger tree v/hose roots 

 have been sacrificed in digging. 



The feeding roots of a tree are far 

 removed from the trunk, at times as far 

 as the height of the tree, and in trans- 

 planting a very large tree it is impos- 

 sible to save any of these, only a small 

 portion of the larger roots being se- 

 cured. 



All feeding roots must be renewed 

 from these stubs "before any nourish- 

 ment can be conveyed to the tree. 



Meantime numerous buds expand, 

 leaves are unrolled and evaporate mois- 

 ture, all of which must be supplied from 

 the body of the tree itself. How^ easy 



it is for borers and both insects and 

 disease to prey upon a tree trunk so 

 weakened, and how^ many such trees die 

 or merely hold life for several years. 



Elms, Willows, Cottonw^oods, Soft 

 Maple and a few other trees emit nevv^ 

 roots so rapidly that they may live, 

 w^hile Oaks, Hard Maples, etc., cannot 

 renew^ their roots quickly. 



UNIFORMITY. 



One expects in a park to see great 

 variety, also on a private lawn, w^e en- 

 joy the intricate variety in shapes of 

 leaves, character of foliage, outline of 

 trees or shrub, combination of harmo- 

 nious colors in a forest, but an avenue 

 of street trees should be uniform in 

 species of trees, distance apart and 

 method of pruning to have a harmon- 

 ious appearance. 



PREPARATION FOR RECEPTION OF TREE. 



Digging the Hole — If the soil cannot 

 be dug deeply and thoroughly as for a 

 crop of grain, it should be excavated 

 not less than four feet square and eigh- 

 teen inches deep, and larger than this 

 for a large tree. 



Should this soil be compact, with rock 

 or gravel, or of made earth which con- 

 tains objectionable materials, then it 

 will be far more profitable to cart this 

 aw^ay and bring in good fertile soil to 

 fill the hole. 



Whether the tree is to barely live and 

 for several years struggle with poverty 

 of food, or whether it shall make a rapid 

 healthy growth from the start will de- 

 pend upon the care used in planting. 



