HANDLING AND CARE OF NURSERY STOCK. Ill 



black cap raspberries and evergreens, wbich should not be dug un- 

 til spring. 



Small fruits, noting the exceptions already stated, may be plant- 

 ed at once, providing some good mulching material is placed over 

 each plant as a winter protection, or they may be kept over w^inter 

 by heeling them in. Select a well-drained piece of ground where the 

 soil is mellow ; dig a trench deep enough to place the roots of the 

 plants at least six inches below the surface of the ground ; place the 

 plants in the trench without bunching them ; work the soil well 

 among the roots and pack firmly so as to leave no air spaces. When 

 covering, take the earth from the side of the trench, thus making a 

 place for another row. 



With trees the work of heeling in is much greater. Dig a pit 

 two feet deep and of sufficient width and length to accommodate all 

 the trees to be buried. Leave the bottom at one end sloping where 

 the first course of trees is to be laid. After covering roots of the 

 first layer, put in another layer lapping over the first, much as shin- 

 gles are laid. When all the trees are in, the pit should be filled, cov- 

 ering root and branch. The ground where nursery stock of any 

 kind is heeled in for winter should be deeply mulched and well 

 soaked with water before freezing. 



In case one receives stock that is frozen, it should not be al- 

 lowed to thaw out in the open air, but should be heeled in at once 

 or placed in a cold cellar without unpacking and well soaked with 

 water. It will then thaw so slowly as to receive no great amount 

 of injury. 



When plants or trees are delivered in the spring, caring for 

 them is a very simple matter. The box or bale should be taken to 

 where it is cool, either to the cellar or some shady place, unpacked 

 at once, the roots sprinkled, and all mangled ones trimmed off 

 smoothly. If they cannot be planted right away, they may be left in 

 the cellar by repacking them, or be heeled in in the shade, simply 

 covering the roots sufficiently to prevent drying out. Even straw- 

 berry plants may be kept this way for ten days to two weeks by 

 watering frequently. 



Before planting dip the roots of all trees and shrubs in a pud- 

 dle made of clay and water. This forms a coating over the roots and 

 prevents them from rapidly drying out. 



