46 THE COMPLETE GARDEN 



year previous to the time that they are transplanted, in order to make 

 them more vigorous and better able to withstand the shock of trans- 

 planting, or such a mixed fertilizer may be fed to the tree in small quan- 

 tities, five to ten pounds to an average-sized tree (six to eight inches 

 in diameter) within the first year after the tree has been transplanted. 

 Under no conditions should a newly transplanted tree be left on a 

 neatly mowed lawn area without artificial methods being resorted to 

 for feeding it. The old saying, as quoted from Mr. Hicks, is that 

 "Neatness is starvation." Nature provides a continual gathering of 

 leaves and grass which rots and makes fertilizer for the tree. When the 

 grass is kept closely clipped and the clippings taken away, and when 

 the leaves are raked each fall, then this neatness deprives the tree of all 

 of its possible source of food supply. 



Transplanting Nursery-grown Trees. Nursery trees are trees 

 which have been grown under nursery conditions for at least two or 

 three years. The most desirable method of handling such trees is to 

 ball-and-burlap them, to lessen the danger of injury from trans- 

 planting. This applies to small trees with well-developed root 

 systems, and especially to those which have been so root pruned that 

 the root spread is in a smaller, more compact area than that of the 

 usual nursery tree. Holes for nursery trees should be excavated at 

 least one foot larger than the ball preserved with the tree. In other 

 words, the roots of the tree should never be pruned to fit the hole in 

 which the tree is to be planted and the roots should never be crowded. 

 It is quite essential to place small guy wires, not less than three in 

 number, to each small nursery tree from two to five inches in diameter. 

 This is especially necessary when trees are in exposed locations or 

 stand alone as specimens. 



When large plantations are set out and the trees will be subjected 

 to broad sweeps of wind, it is more economical not to guy, but rather to 

 watch the plantation, and from time to time straighten up such trees 

 as are pushed out of their normal position by the wind. In an effort to 

 build up plantations of native growth, such as oak, beech, hickory, 

 basswood, and any other forest trees, it is better to plant these trees 

 in concentric circles or a spiral arrangement so that during the first 

 three or four years any one could cultivate among these trees without 

 very much difficulty. If the trees in such plantations are staggered 

 here and there without any relationship to any avenues through which 



