TRANSPLANTING 283 



Special Hints Concerning Conifers 



A successful specialist in evergreens makes the following valuable 

 suggestions as to the handling of trees of this class that have been 

 dug — as is almost invariably the case — with a ball of earth: 



"Where the ball is natural and has not been made artificially, 

 the soil about the roots should be left undisturbed . It is not even neces- 

 sary to remove the burlap. If, however, the tree has been dug with the 

 roots bare and then dipped in a clay puddle and then a ball has been 

 made in an artificial manner by pressing the soil into ball form and 

 bending and twisting the roots, the soil must certainly be removed at 

 time of planting. 



"All small and medium sized conifers we dig with a natural ball 

 and these should be planted without breaking the ball. With trees 

 above five or six feet, we dig around the roots and work in toward the 

 trees with a spading fork. We remove the soil from the entire root 

 system around the side of the ball until we have a reasonable size ball 

 still remaining. The roots are all gathered up and wound around the 

 ball, which is burlapped securely when the tree is ready for shipping. 

 In the case of this style of treatment it is necessary to remove the burlap 

 and set out the roots in their natural position." 



The Frozen Ball Method of Transplanting 



Although this method is employed in the case of large trees as well 

 as small ones and shrubs, it is with the latter classes that the private 

 garden owner has to do; when a large tree is to be moved he sends for 

 the professional tree mover— if he is w^ise. This operation begins the 

 Summer or even the year before it is desired to transplant the tree. 

 At this time a trench is dug around the specimen about the width of a 

 spade, deep enough to cut all the main roots, and far enough from the 

 trunk to insure a good mass of earth around it. If the tree has a tap 

 root this should be cut with a sharp spade or sod cutter thrust in hori- 

 zontally under the root ball. 



The trench should then be filled with loose earth, manure or fitter 

 of any sort. When Winter comes and the ground is frozen hard so 

 that the entire root ball can be moved, the trench is again carefully 

 opened up and the mass of roots and soil lifted out and taken to the new 

 location which should have been prepared before the ground froze. 

 The next Spring when it softens up firm the soil well and add enough 

 to fill up the hole about level full. 



As a rule no shade or protection is called for by shrubs or small 

 trees. However, evergreens are sometimes covered with damp burlap 

 or heavy paper to check the evaporation that would otherwise occur 



