CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO 



TRANSPLANTING TREES 



When we plant a tree we are doing what we can to make our planet a 

 more wholesome and happier -dwelling place for those who come after us, 

 if not for ourselves. 



OLIVER WENDELL HOLMES 



OUR appreciation of the beauty and usefulness of trees 

 causes millions of them to be planted in our country 

 every year. As a rule people do not attempt to raise 

 them from the seed, but get them from a nursery or from 

 the woods. While a tree can be moved without difficulty 

 if the work is properly done, it should always be remem- 

 bered that transplanting is a very severe operation; 

 for having its roots dug out of the soil and many thou- 

 sands of the little rootlets through which it draws its 

 water and food materials torn away, forces the tree to 

 begin a new life. Some directions for transplanting will 

 be useful, therefore, and when a tree is to be moved these 

 should always be most carefully carried .out. 



Time for transplanting. Most kinds of trees may be 

 transplanted in either spring or fall. If trees are moved 

 in the spring, it should be done before the buds open and 

 when rains are expected. October and November, 

 except in a dry season, are the best fall months for 

 transplanting deciduous trees. Of course, such a tree 

 should not be lifted when in full leaf ; we could not 

 expect the roots of a newly transplanted tree to supply 

 with water a great number of leaves. 



For evergreens, August is considered by some author- 

 ities to be the best month, if the weather is dry, but 

 they may be transplanted at any time after this until 

 spring. If trees are transplanted in winter, a ball of 



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