2IO 



GARDENING. 



April /, 



is inclined to be wet, to dig out the new 

 soil again and pile it up alongside in order 

 that it may be dry and friable when the 

 tree is planted. If a number of excava- 

 tions are made, all of the same size, the 

 number of wheelbarrows of soil required 

 to fill the first one may be ascertained, 

 and a similar number piled up at the 

 others. In the fall I generally sift through 

 a coarse mason's gravel sifter a few 

 barrels of good soil when it is dry, and 

 put it under cover. This I can use to work 

 in among the fine roots in spring planting 

 if the regular soil is too wet. See that 

 the drainage is good. If your grounds 

 are not tile-drained, or you have reason 

 to believe the situation is too retentive, 

 dig a foot deeperand fill in at the bottom 

 for ten to twelve inches with broken brick, 

 or any rough material ot like nature, and 

 place an inverted sod over it before filling 

 in the soil. If the place is quite wet, and 

 you are not planting a swamp loving 

 tree, excavate one foot deep, fill up to the 

 former level, and plant your tree on top 

 and then mound up one foot or more 

 over the roots with good soil, extending 

 the mound five to six feet in diameter. In 

 this case the roots will seek that soil, 

 above or below, most suited to its wants. 

 When your trees arrive unpack and 

 check off the items from the bill. If all 

 agree, and you have reason to believe the 

 goods are as ordered, remit promptly 

 that the nurseryman may be as happy as 

 you expect to be with your new possess- 

 ions. If they have been delayed in transit 

 and look dry and shriveled (this does not 

 apply to evergreens), dig trenches in the 

 soil and bury them one at a time, roots, 

 branches and all, and let them remain 

 four or five days, when the chances are 

 that they will plump up, but on account 

 of the check they have received they will 

 require closer cutting back. Should they 

 have become frozen place them, box or 

 bale and all, in some dark cool place to 

 thaw out. These two mishaps seldom 

 occur. Even if ready to plant, it is well 

 to heel them in at once, unless there are 

 but two or three to set out. Unoccupied 

 flower or vegetable beds are available, if 

 not take the soil at the last few holes to 

 plant, and placing the trees in a slanting 

 position, cover the roots, breaking it 

 up as finely as you can, especially if they 

 are to remain there some days. If there 

 are quite a number to plant it is well to 

 take a tub half full of water to which 

 soil, preferably of a clayey, adhesive 

 nature, has been added and stirred up 

 until the mixture or "puddle" is of the 

 consistency of a thick gruel. Before taking 

 a tree to its future home dip the roots in 

 this puddle, not taking more than two 

 trees away at a time. A large piece of 

 burlap or an old blanket thoroughly wet 

 should be taken along and thrown over 

 the roots of the second tree while the first 

 is being planted. The hot sun and drying 

 winds are sources of danger to be avoided. 

 With a sharp knife cut off the ends of all 

 broken or damaged roots, starting the 

 cut from the under side and making it 

 smooth and clean. Have a straight stick 

 some seven feet long, and with it measure 

 what might be termed the depth of the 

 roots, so as to enable you to know how 

 much to fill in before setting in the tree. 

 Mound up the soil in the center of the 

 bottom of the hole to such a height that 

 when the tree rests upon it the straight 

 stick (being laid on the ground across the 

 hole) will pass the trunk at the point 

 where it left the surface of the ground 

 when in the nursery. The trunk is gener- 

 ally darker in color where originally 

 covered by the soil. This mound should 

 be slightly firmed or tamped by the foot 



before the tree is placed on it. In this 

 section I have noticed that most planted 

 trees in the open, and generally the native 

 ones not surrounded, are much heavier in 

 branches on the eastern and southeastern 

 sides, whether on account of the stronger 

 northwestern winds or the influence of 

 the sun I can not tell, but in planting I 

 generally put the best side to the west, 

 as the eastern side will in time catch up 

 and equalize the head. 



Unless the trees are quite small a strong 

 stake should be provided to which they 

 should be fastened to prevent the swaying 

 by heavy winds from tearing and injuring 

 the tender newly-formed roots soon to be 

 expected. When your tree is set in place, 

 and before filling in any soil over the 

 roots, drive in the stake where it will not 

 injure the roots, and as close up to the 

 trunk as you can get it. If your stakes 

 are not ready drive in any short stake, 

 merely to mark a spot where afterwards 

 t^e proper one may be driven without 

 injury. When you tie the tree to these 

 stakes cut an old garden hose into pieces 

 six to ten inches long and pass a strong 

 cord through them. Theends of the hose 

 should extend, when placed around the 

 tree, a couple of inches. Cross these ends 

 and tie to the stake, the ends will par- 

 tially surround the stake, and the soft 

 rubber prevents chafing. If on account 

 of the trunk or stake being crooked they 

 touch each other at any point below 

 split a piece of hose and encircle the stake, 

 wiring it on strongly above and below, 

 the point of adhesion. We have now 

 reached a critical point in the operation. 

 To plant properly trees of any size it is 

 best to have two persons in attendance. 

 One at first holds the tree in proper posi- 

 tion while some soil is being thrown in. 

 The soil should be quite friable if sticky 

 and adhering to the spade it is too wet. 

 All soil in contact with the roots should 

 be pulverized, so that when pressed down 

 there will be no portion of the roots that 

 is not in close contact with it. Spread 

 the roots out as evenly as possible, if in 

 several tiers the lower ones first, and fill 

 in with fine soil. When they are covered 

 a few inches pound down with the fists 

 or even with a rammer, and work the 

 soil in under the center; spread out the 

 next tier and proceed as before. Some 

 plant a little low at first and lift the 

 tree up gently, shaking slightly so as to 

 settle the soil around the roots. Do not 

 fill in too rapidly or you cannot pack the 

 soil sufficiently tight. When the roots 

 are fairly well covered you may water 

 quite freely and go on to the next tree, 

 afterwards finishing the filling in. You 

 may put in some rotted manure in the 

 top one foot of filling, along the outer 

 edge, where the roots may reach it late 

 in the season or the following year. Unless 

 the soil is very dry, the watering may be 

 omitted if the soil is well pressed in among 

 the roots. 



The tree may be prunne at this stage, 

 or before planting. More amateurs fail 

 on this point than on any other. They 

 see the nicely formed head, and dislike to 

 disturb it; but if one stops to think a 

 moment common sense will prevail. No 

 tree was ever lazy; it will always main- 

 tain as much of a head as the feeding 

 capacity of its roots warrant. Had a 

 newly planted tree remained in the 

 nursery it would not only have sustained 

 all of its branches, but increased them. 

 But what has happened? It has been 

 torn from its established home, its feed- 

 ing roots bruised, cut and destroyed, and 

 like a fish out of water it has been out of 

 its element for some time during transit. 

 Fortunately nature has stored up enough 



sap in the trunk to start the leaves into 

 action without the aid of moisture from 

 the roots. If too many leaf buds are left 

 on to swell and develop they exhaust the 

 reserve sap before new roots can be 

 formed that will draw moisture and food 

 from the soil and renew it, and the tree 

 dies, or, if it lives, it is weak and sickly, a 

 prey to disease and insect enemies. It is 

 hard to say just how much a tree should 

 be cut back; some require a more severe 

 trimming than others. The oak, hickory, 

 chestnut, tulip tree and many others re- 

 quire close pruning, while the willows 

 and poplars are safe with less. Most 

 catalogues state what varieties require a 

 vigorous pruning. As a rule a tree loses 

 fifty per cent of its feedingroots, and con- 

 sequently should have more than fifty 

 per cent of the head removed. Evergreens 

 having fibrous roots, generally clustered 

 near the trunk, can be taken up with less 

 loss of root power than deciduous trees, 

 and are seldom pruned when trans- 

 planted, but their roots are very sensi- 

 tive to exposure to sun and winds. Wet 

 cloths kept over the roots at time of 

 planting are of great assistance. A sum- 

 mer mulch of any light, strawy material, 

 cuttings from the lawn, etc., are helpful, 

 but better still is a constant cultivation 

 of the soil. W. C. Egan. 



Highland Park, 111. 



NOTES ON OAKS. 



I can fully endorse what Mr. Wyman 

 says of the beauty of Quqrcus macrocarpa, 

 the bur oak, in a recent issue of Garden- 

 ing, and I would add that I think it more 

 attractive in the winter season than in 

 summer, for then it is that the beauty of 

 its corky branches is best displayed. 



It may not be well known that acorns 

 from these corky bur oaks are not to be 

 relied on for producing the like. Acorns 

 from the corkiest bur oak to be found 

 will produce seedlings of varying corki- 

 ness, down to some with no sign of corky 

 branches. And the same diversity exists 

 in the acorn and cup. Some trees bear 

 immense sized acorns in cups as "mossy" 

 as can be, others have the cups hardly 

 fringed at all; and there will be trees with 

 acorns almost hidden by their cups, and 

 some with cups so shallow as to expose 

 the greater part of the nut. Seedlings 

 soon show their character as regards 

 corkiness, and those with the corky 

 branches should be selected as the most 

 desirable. 



It is a great pleasure to recognize the 

 general desire to plant oak trees which is 

 so much in evidence of late. Parks and 

 cemeteries, as well as private gardens, 

 have been introducing them within the 

 past few years to an extent that seemed 

 hardly possible some 3'ears ago. Cer- 

 tainly there are no trees better adapted 

 for the purpose. The large growth of 

 most ofthem as well as the lovely fall 

 foliage so many display, enhance their 

 value. The scarlet oak, Quercus coccinea; 

 the red, Q. rubra, andthe pin, 0. palustris, 

 are the best for fall coloring. 



Beautiful as these oaks are I have found 

 many persons who dearly love the English 

 oak, (J. robur, and the Turkey, Q. cerris, 

 because of the green foliage they display 

 right up to the time freezing weather 

 comes. Amid the many native kinds 

 changing their foliage to autumnal tints 

 the green of these foreign ones adds charm 

 to the whole. The English does not grow 

 into the tall tree the most of the native 

 sorts do. In its home it makes a large, 

 round-headed specimen, such as is shown 

 in the illustration presented, which is 

 from a photograph ol a tree in Nunwell 



