SPRING MANAGEMENT. 61 



be headed down close to the bud or graft, cutting 

 each shoot down two or three eyes, which will throw 

 out luxuriant shoots, and form it to bushy rows. 

 At this time most trees may be headed down and 

 pruning performed, as directed under its proper 

 head. 



ART. 2. Drawing Trees. 



The drawing of trees may be commenced when 

 the frost is out of the ground, so that the spade can 

 be worked freely. It is very rarely that there is 

 sufficient pains taken in drawing trees, which can be 

 accounted for in different ways ; in the first place, 

 the season is so short when it is to be done, that the 

 haste to complete the business of drawing in a nur- 

 sery is often some excuse for the improper manner 

 in which it is done. However, there can be no ex- 

 cuse for the cutting off all the fibrous roots of trees 

 in a manner that they are valueless, or so much in- 

 jured, that it will take two or three years before they 

 can re-establish themselves, so as to make a luxu- 

 riant growth. In the act of drawing young trees, 

 every care should be taken to take them from the 

 ground in such a manner that they may retain as 

 much as possible, their roots in their natural state, 

 and that the fibrous roots are not cut off. In taking 

 a young tree from the ground, the first thing to be 

 done, is to take out the soil a spade deep or deeper 

 than the roots on one side of the tree, at such a dis- 

 tance that the roots may not be cut too short ; this 

 done, the tree is to be gently pulled on that side to 

 draw the top roots tight, which are to be cut by 

 spading round in a circular manner on the opposite 



