128 ANNUAL REPORT 



trees or none must be had, trees grown in the sun one or two 

 years will do. Generally such trees as can be bought for ten 

 dollars per thousand. See that the trees are bought from a person 

 who can show that he has been eminently successful in handling 

 evergreens, for a little carelessness, a little exposure of the roots 

 to the air, and the ability to grow is gone. It is of first impor- 

 tance to keep the roots moist all the time from the time the spade 

 first touches the roots till they are safely in the ground. The 

 least exposure of the roots to the sun or wind will dry them; 

 keep them damp or wet. Prepare the soil as for a garden, ex- 

 cept that it needs no manure. Lay off the rows four feet apart 

 one way by eight the other, j)lanting a row of corn between the 

 rows one way for two or three years. Now, with the roots of the 

 trees wet and covered up and a few in a large pail with the roots 

 in water, proceed to plant one at a time. Plant them a little 

 deeper than they grew in the nursery, spreading the roots out 

 in all directions and covering with fine mellow soil, being care- 

 ful that no straw, stubble, lumps or other rubbish gets in around 

 the roots, for all such things dry out quickly and do not hold the 

 moisture like earth. They also keep the soil from coming in 

 close contact with the roots. If the soil is at all dry use a little 

 water to each tree but put none onto the ground after the tree 

 is planted. The place for water when planting trees is in the 

 ground on the roots and not on top. Press the soil firmly around 

 the roots and put loose soil on top; within a week or ten days 

 cultivate thoroughly, stirring the surface of the ground and kill- 

 ing all the weeds. Continue the cultivation until the first of 

 July; then it would be well to pull a little earth toward each 

 tree, hilling up a couple of inches. At this time if mulching is 

 put around each tree four inches deep and out two feet each way 

 it will need no more care till the next year, when good cultiva- 

 tion should be given again and continued each year till the tops 

 of the trees shade the ground. Stock must be kept away from 

 evergreens or they will break them down or destroy the lower 

 limbs. 



There can be no labor put upon the soil that will make so 

 grand a showing in ten years as that devoted to the care of ever- 

 greens — and there can be no monument to one's memory and 

 good deeds erected on the soil by the person whose name it is 

 desired to perpetuate than a fine grove of well grown ever- 

 greens. 



