STATE HORTICULTUEAL SOCIETY. 23T 



Mr. Smith. I guess that is pretty large. 



Mr. Elliot. Instead of ten pounds of clover I would only use about 

 two. The finest lawns we have in this city are made entirely with 

 blue grass. Man^' have come to me wanting to know why their lawns 

 died out. It is because they throw out their slops and dirt on them, 

 and keep them filthy. If they would give them protection and run 

 over their lawns regularly every night they could keep them looking 

 well. 



Speaking about transplanting trees, I think Mr. Pearce is right in 

 regard to transplanting very large ones. I have been in the habit of 

 transplanting trees all the way from six to twelve inches through and 

 twenty -five feet high. Such trees, if taken up with a pile of dirt, and 

 handled properly, one may succeed in making live; but if one takes up 

 a tree ten to twelve inches through with a pile of dirt four feet square, ex- 

 posing that pile of dirt to the air for one month before setting, what can 

 you expect? You will have a pole the next year without any foliage on 

 it. Our park commissioners have been criticized this evening with 

 regard to the planting so largely of elms. Now, I happen to know 

 why they planted so many, and the reason was they could not get 

 other trees that were suitable. They sent to Illinois to get those 

 elms. They hunted all over Minnesota for them first. There were no 

 trees of that description here. They got trees from two to four inches 

 through. Those trees when they came out of the cars had a mat of 

 fibrous roots. They were shipped the same as to-night and to-morrow 

 they were here, and the next day they were hauled away and proper 

 care taken of them. Out of all those trees, 1 don't think they have 

 lost three to a hundred. I know at our park they have only lost four 

 trees. They have the maple, the linden, elm, ash and boxelder, and 

 they are all doing well. It is because they have been nicely handled. 

 And that is the secret of planting trees; it is in the handling. 



Mr. Smith's idea of taking out a cubic yard of earth in transplant- 

 ing large trees is a good one, but if the soil is very sandy it should be 

 four times that. Ijhave been somewhat amused to observe our people 

 where they have been cutting down their streets take off all the sur- 

 face, soil, haul it ofi" to fill up some hollow, and leave nothing but a 

 sand pile on which to plant their trees. They go and dig out a bushel 

 or two of dirt and plant the tree. You may expect the tree to live the 

 first year, the next year begin to look sickly and about the third year 

 die. And they then wonder why it is dead. Well, if we werejto take 

 our children and give them the same fare, I don't think we would raise 



