38 THE COMPLETE GARDEN 



Drainage for Transplanted Stock. The soil in which plants are 

 placed should be considered carefully. Sandy soils which have ample 

 drainage, and clayey soils, which naturally retain water, require dis- 

 tinctly different treatment. It is invariably necessary in clayey soils, 

 especially with larger trees, to provide artificial drainage. In sandy 

 soils, on the other hand, an extra supply of water must be added, 

 especially when stock is transplanted during the latter part of the 

 spring season or in the warmer cHmates. A plant should not be 

 placed in a "pocket," excavated in shale or clay, which will afford 

 little or no drainage; and it is of course better not to plant on a 

 small mound which will lose moisture rapidly during the dry season. 

 The common practice of "hilling" earth around the stem of the 

 plant, which sheds water away from the roots, is to be discouraged. 

 A shallow, basin-shaped depression should be left around the stem. 

 This will hold the water until it soaks down to the roots. But 

 suitable allowance must be made for later settling of the loosened 

 earth. 



Balled-and-Burlapped Root Systems. Planting material is 

 often lifted with a ball of earth left intact around the roots. The ball 

 of earth after being lifted is then carefully wrapped with burlap. 

 This process is used with large material, evergreens, and any plants 

 that are difficult to move. The great danger of transplanting such 

 material after it has been wrapped for three or four days lies in the fact 

 that during this period the outer thin layer of earth on the ball 

 becomes hard and dry. The general practice with many planters has 

 been to plant the stock without further care after removing the burlap. 

 In the course of a few months the plant dies. Loss is due to insufficient 

 moisture reaching the outer coating of the ball to loosen it, and thus 

 necessary water cannot reach the roots, which have become sealed inside 

 the hard coating. The best practice with all plants which have been 

 "balled and burlapped" is to immerse the ball in water for a short 

 time in order to thoroughly loosen the dirt in this outer coating before 

 transplanting. It is never advisable simply to slit the burlap with a 

 knife without removing the covering entirely and soaking the ball with 

 water before transplanting. Place the plant in the hole where it is 

 to be planted, then cut the binding and remove the burlap very slowly 

 and carefully, exercising caution to avoid disturbing the ball; then 

 partially fill the hole with water. ^ 



