Arboriculture and Ornamental Planting 265 



should be left a little lower than the surrounding ground 

 so that some of the surface water may be retained in the 

 hollow. A top dressing of well-rotted manure or wood 

 ashes will help, for trees, like anything else, grow better 

 in good soil. No manure should be put in the hole around 

 the roots for fear of burning them. It is possible to plant 

 such trees in the autumn after the falling of the leaves, but 

 they are apt to suffer from the frost the following spring if 

 there is much clay in the soil. 



The conifers need more careful handling. Their roots 

 should never be exposed or allowed to dry out in the least. 

 This can be prevented only by moving them with a large 

 ball of earth. Since it is very difficult to keep such a ball 

 of earth intact when the ground is soft in the early spring, 

 the following method is recommended when the tree has to 

 be moved any distance. For a short move they can be 

 handled like the hardwoods. In the autumn, before the 

 ground is hard frozen, dig a trench around the tree to be 

 moved so as to include most of the roots in the central 

 core of earth. Fill in the trench with straw to keep the 

 ground at the bottom from freezing. Dig a hole in the 

 place in which the tree is to be replanted large enough 

 to accommodate the ball of earth conveniently. Also 

 fill this with straw or manure and cover the earth taken 

 from the hole with the same material to prevent freezing. 



Nothing more need be done till some convenient time 

 in the winter when the ground is hard frozen, and pref- 

 erably when snow is on the ground, because it is easier 

 to load the tree on a low sled than on a wagon. Remove 

 the straw from the trench around the tree, and loosen the 

 ball of earth at the bottom and load the tree on the sled 



