196 



Canadian Forestry Journal, May, 1919 



HOW TO PLANT MEMORIAL TREES 



Scores of Societies Will Establish Shaded 

 Avenues and Roadways in Remem- 

 brance of Heroic Soldiers 



The first essential in planting a shade tree is 

 to prepare a good large hole for it. If it seems 

 needlessly large, all the better. In that case 

 there will be plenty of loose soil around the 

 roots, through which the little rootlets will be 

 the better enabled to feel their way in their 

 search for the soil-moisture. One American city, 

 where the shade trees are under a special com- 

 mission, always makes holes four feet square 

 and three and a half feet deep. These are left 

 for a time and gradually filled ud with loose 

 ^oil, fertilized if necessary; and, when the time 

 comes that the tree is to be planted, a hole is 

 scooped in the loose earth, a little larger than the 

 mass of tree roots, and the tree is planted in this 

 hole. ; 



Care of the Soil. 



At the least the hole should be large enough 

 to accommodate the roots of the tree without 

 crowding. The fine top soil first taken out 

 should be put aside by itself, and the coarser 

 soil taken from lower down should be similarly 

 put aside. The tree should be put in the hole 

 in such a way that it will stand a couple of 

 inches deeper than it stood in the nursery. Then, 

 first of all, the fine top soil should be put 

 back in the hole and tramped around the roots, 

 after which the coarser soil may be thrown in. 

 All soil must be firmly packed around the roots, 

 except the two or three inches at the surface, 

 which should be left loose, in order to lessen 

 evaporation from the soil. Any gravel there 

 may be had better be removed altogether. If 

 the soil is poor, it may be fertilized with artificial 

 fertilizer or well rotted manure, but care should 

 be taken that none of the latter is allowed to be 

 in direct contact with the roots. 



The reason for putting the top soil in first is 

 that it contains more plant food in available 

 form than does the deeper soil, and so gives the 

 better chance for the rootlets to absorb it and 

 incorporate it in the tree. The tree is put 

 down in the hole a little deper than it stood 

 in the nursery because it will thus get a chance 

 to root more quickly, the roots will be kept cool 

 and, further, it will be able the better to resist 

 the wind. 



Why Prune the Tops? 



At the time of planting the tree needs to be 

 headed back, that is, to have part of its top 

 removed. In order to understand the reason 

 for this, it must be taken into account that while 

 the young tree has been growing in the nursery, 

 its root system and its system of leaves and 

 branches have been so developed that a balance 

 exists between them, the roots supplying just the 

 quantity that the leaves ned for their use. In 

 the process of digging up the tree a certain pro- 

 portion of the root-system has to be sacrificed; 

 to balance this, a portion of the upper part of 

 the tree has to be removed, or else the tree will 

 suffer. 



Choose Small Trees. 



If you are at liberty to select the trees for 

 yourself, do not think that the larger trees are 

 necessarily the best. Smaller trees are easier 

 to transplant, and in the course of a few years 

 will overtake the trees that at the time of plant- 

 ing were considerably larger. 



The tree should be planted while in a dor- 

 mant condition, that is, in the case of a broad- 

 leaved tree, before it leaves out in the spring or 

 after it has shed its leaves in the autumn. 

 Evergreens, or conifers, may be planted later in 

 the spring or earlier in the fall. With the latter, 

 special care must be taken that the roots do not 

 dry out, even for an instant. 



Trees planted on the street or as an avenue 

 should not be placed nearer together than forty 

 to fifty feet. If planted much nearer than this, 

 both roots and branches will interfere with those 

 of the neighboring trees, to their mutual detri- 

 ment. 



Use Nursery Stock. 



Trees grown in a nursery will m all proba- 

 bility give more satisfaction than those taken 

 from a woodlot. If, however, for any reason it 

 IS desired to make use of the latter, much care 

 should be taken in the selection of the trees. 

 They should be selected either from the outside 

 border of the woodlot or from some well-lighted 

 opening in it. In that way there will be ob- 

 tained trees which have been used to an abund- 



