SEVENTEENTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK— PART VIII 439 



PLANTING AND CAKE. 



In Iowa, evergreen trees are best planted in the spring as early as 

 the soil can be conveniently worked. Order the trees long enough in 

 advance to make such that they will be on hand for early planting. In 

 all cases, set the trees out before the new growth starts, since it is 

 much more difficult to get good results after new roots have formed 

 and the buds are opened. 



Receiving the Trees: The nurseryman shipping the trees should pack 

 them in such a manner as to prevent the roots from drying. Generally 

 evergreens are received in good condition if there has been no delay in 

 transit. In case weather conditions will not permit the planting of 

 the stock immediately on being received, protect the trees carefully from 

 drying out. Take trees from the shipping package and "heel" them 

 by burying the roots in cool, moist earth. Protect the trees from the sun 

 and drying wind by spreading a mulch of straw or leaves over the bed, 

 or by placing them in the shade of some building. "Heeling In" pre- 

 vents the trees from drying out and also by keeping them in a cool place, 

 prevents them from starting growth. 



Preparing the Ground: Many failures in planting evergreen trees 

 result from a poor preparation of the soil. For best results, plow the 

 soil deeply and thoroly harrow it before planting is attempted. As a 

 class, the evergreen trees will endure soils of poor quality and when 

 once established need little care. Some attention at the outset will 

 often be the means of securing a good stand of trees in the windbreak 

 or shelterbelt. 



Keep the Roots Moist: The first essential in planting evergreen trees 

 is to prevent the roots from drying. When time will permit, it is quite 

 desirable to select a cloudy day when there is little or no wind. It 

 should be borne in mind that evergreens must be handled with much 

 more care than broadleaf trees in planting. It is often possible to ex- 

 pose the roots of some of the hardy broadleaf trees for several days 

 without serious injury. On the other hand, only a few minutes' exposure 

 of the roots of evergreen trees to the sun and wind will often prevent 

 their starting growth. At the time of planting, carry the trees, a few 

 at a time in a bucket or other vessel, where the roots can be well pro- 

 tected with wet moss, leaves or earth, until the tree is actually placed in 

 the hole for planting. 



Trimming the Roots: Before planting the trees, carefully cut off the 

 long, straggling roots and those which have been injured, using prun- 

 ing shears or a sharp knife. As a rule, stock of relatively small size 

 which has been once or twice transplanted is in good condition for 

 planting. It sometimes happens, however, in planting seedling stock 

 that the roots are very irregular, some long and some short. In such 

 a case the long roots should be trimmed back. 



Setting the Tree: If the soil has been thoroughly prepared before- 

 hand by plowing and harrowing, the planting operation will be much 

 simplified. Make the hole for the tree amply large. For a tree 18 inches 

 in height the hole should be from 15 to 18 inches in diameter. The 



