The Rescue of an Old Place 



appliances for the purpose, for the largest 

 one measured six inches through, two feet 

 from the ground, and had a lofty top. 

 severe top- After the trees were carefully uprooted 

 fiSKT*" their tops were cut off, until the main 

 stems were only about eight feet high, and 

 the branches that were left running up 

 from them were also cut back to within a 

 few feet of their union with the trunk. 

 Could we have foreseen the mildness of 

 the two succeeding winters we should have 

 been tempted to prune them less severely. 

 I am almost sure that it was unnecessary, 

 but moving them at such an unusual sea- 

 son seemed to make it wise to give them 

 more root than top. It will take about 

 four years for them to get back their origi- 

 nal stature after this severe treatment, but 

 they perhaps have escaped risks of draw- 

 backs by the way. Similar trees in this 

 town, transplanted without topping, though 

 they have lived, have shown signs of fee- 

 bleness, and I am disposed to think that 

 in the end ours will make the finer speci- 

 mens. 



The holes in which they were set were 

 dug six feet in diameter, and nearly five 

 114 



