HINTS ON TRANSPLANTING TREES. 



soil plow. If one plowing be not enough, give it two or three ; and if it can not be 

 plowed, trench it, or at least trench a large circle for each tree ; throw out the poor 

 subsoil, and substitute good, fertile loam. If it be wet, drain it, and drain it thor- 

 oughly. If you have stones on your land, make stone drains, as large and deep as 

 the outlet will admit. If you have no stone, use tile, which is now manufactured in 

 many parts of the country. In a wet soil to be planted with trees, tile drains should 

 be at least three to three and a half feet deep, and not more than a rod apart, to carry 

 the water away quickly and eftectually from the soil about the roots. Draining and 

 subsoil plowing are the two great improving operations of modern fixrming ; and they 

 are by far more important to the orchardist and all who grow and plant trees, than to 

 the farmer who cultivates merely annual crops. 



Having the ground thus thoroughly prepared for the reception of the trees, planting 

 is in order; and the first step is to dig the holes. Now it so happens, that in the 

 seasons of planting nearly all classes of people, both in town and country, are pressed 

 with their ordinary avocations ; and the consequence is, that planting is either deferred 

 till too late, or else it is done hurriedly and badly — the holes are made just large 

 enough to cram the roots into, and the earth is thrown in about them without any 

 higher aim than merely to cover them. In these cases the roots are crowded, con- 

 fused, and bent up, so that a large number of them never come in contact with the 

 earth, and of course die. The careful planter will make holes so deep that a bed of 

 good, friable, sandy loam may be spread on the bottom, to set the trees on. It makes 

 a great difference what sort of soil is placed around the roots ; because, as every prop- 

 agator knows, certain soils are much more favorable to the emission of new roots than 

 others. We object to all kinds of manure, chips or shavings of wood, and various 

 other materials that are occasionally prescribed ; all of which may be very useful and 

 proper to be placed near the roots, to furnish a supply of nutriment when young 

 active rootlets have been formed, and are capable to make use of them. To promote 

 re-rooting, use fine, fresh, sandy loam — a large proportion of sand, as this remains 

 porous and does not hold injurious quantities of moisture. Then the holes must be 

 wide enough to allow every root to be spread out its natural length, and in a free, 

 natural direction ; because every twist or bend has the same effect as a twist or bend 

 of a branch — namely, that ot checking the flow of sap to it, and inducing feebleness. 

 In replacing the earth, exclude all poor soil taken from the bottom ; fill in the sandy 

 loam mixture carefully and slowly, so that not a cavity will be left, but that every 

 root will be placed in direct contact with the soil. Some kid-glove planters use sharp 

 sticks to work in the earth, and thus injure the roots. The man who is really in 

 earnest, will take his hands. 



In the spring, and more especially at an advanced period, when the soil has become 

 quite dry, and when it is likely to remain so for a length of time, a pail or two of 

 water, or a sufficient quantity, may be applied, to furnish the degree of moisture 

 necessary to promote the formation of roots, and also to supply the demand which the 

 opening buds will make upon the roots. This water should be applied before the 

 earth is all filled in ; because the layer of earth laid over it prevents rapid evaporation 





