WHEN AND HOW TO TLANT TREES, 



BY WM. SAUNDERS, LANDSCAPE GARDENER, OERMANTOWN, PHILADELPHIA. 



[Continued from Page 498.) 



»HEN planting is anticipated, the formation of a good com- 

 post heap should meet immediate attention. Sides of old 

 fences, where grass and weeds have remained for years 

 undisturbed, or old meadow bottoms, afford a soil of the 

 best description as a basis for such a purpose. Mixed 

 with a fourth-part of fresh manure, and frequently turned 

 over to assist decomposition, they form a suitable compost 

 for any description of tree or shrub. When it is a desi- 

 deratum to hasten the decay of such material, it may be 

 "^yvv^^ npsr watered with a solution of potash. One pound of potash 

 will be enough for a cubic yard of soil. It should be dissolved and used in as much 

 water as will thoroughly wet the whole mass. This will not only render it fit for 

 use in a few weeks, but also enhances its value, potash being largely appropriated 

 by plants, independent of its decomposing agency in the soil. 



The pleasure and satisfaction derived from the contemplation of trees in a culti- 

 vated state, depends upon the evidences of health and vigor which they exhibit. A 

 well-formed, free-growing tree is at all times an object of beauty, while a stunted, 

 moss-covered one is as certain to suggest ideas of impoverished soil, or mismanage- 

 ment on the part of the cultivator. The nature and condition of the soil is there- 

 fore an all-important consideration; with regard to the latter quality, freedom from 

 superfluous water and aeration should be secured. Although perhaps not absolutely 

 necessary in all cases, yet it may safely be laid down as a rule that all soils are bene- 

 fited by judicious draining. It has been said that draining was really injurious in a 

 climate where droughts are of frequent occurrence, or in soils of a sandy or gravelly 

 character. Experience, however, proves the reverse : it has been shown, time and 

 again, that sandy soils are more productive and less liable to suffer from drouth when 

 properly aerated by underground drains, as they increase the porosity of the soil and 

 consequently enhance its capabilities for absorbing moisture and holding water in 

 suspension within its pores. 



Clayey soils are equally improved by this method of underground ventilation ; an 

 adhesive subsoil is formed into a compact surface immediately below the cultivated 

 stratum, which retards the downward extension of roots, and prevents the admission 

 of the various gases useful for building up the vegetable structure. Air is indispen- 

 sable to the growth of plants, and must have free access to the roots and their 

 rounding soil. The soil must be sufficiently porous to part readily with water, 



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