24 WESTERN HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



thaws out the sap rises and bursts the dry bark. If we had 

 a wet fall and no hot weather after the first frosts, followed 

 by a cold wet spring", trees would do better. A good covering* 

 of dry litter will greatly benefit all kinds of trees, not only in 

 winter but in summer too. Of course old established trees 

 and hardy trees do not need such precautions, but all such as 

 are imported and are tender should be protected from the 

 South in the spring to prevent sun-scald. Then there is 

 often a cold snap after the leaves are out followed by dry hot 

 winds at the end of May or early in June. This is a critical 

 time for trees, if their foliage is to amount to anything that 

 season. We can partly make up for nature's deficiency in 

 this respect by spraying an hour before sunset and an hour 

 after sunrise, so long as the sun is not too hot. It is not 

 sufficient to water the roots, as the foliage gets dry and will 

 not draw from the roots. Spraying also, if done at the right 

 time, would, in nine cases out of ten prevent the ravages of 

 insects. Last summer, when the maples all round us were 

 without leaf ours were fresh and green, by spraying with 

 pure water without chemicals of any kind. Of course water 

 without chemicals does not always answer, but in most cases 

 it does, and at any rate prevention is better than cure. 



WHAT KIND OF TREES ? 



I believe there are many kinds of trees that would do 

 well here with which we have as yet made no experiments, 

 but there are certainly a few kinds that will grow and flour- 

 ish. The first and best is the elm, but if you want this to be 

 a good shaped tree the knife must not be spared, because its 

 inclination is to grow straight up, and judicious pruning is 

 the secret of making a well-shaped tree. The elm can be 

 easily grown from seeds, but these must be gathered as soon 

 as they are ripe and planted straight away. The second 

 year they should be transplanted and the root pruned, because 

 it is inclined, as all seedlings are, to make a tap root. If a 

 good shaped tree is wanted it should be transplanted every 

 three years till ten years old, or until it is permanently 

 planted. 



