50 BELOW THE ROOTS. 



pruned severely, cutting off two-thirds of the pres- 

 ent growth, and then the ground should be mulched 

 heavily, so as to keep the soil around the roots 

 moist. 



In most instances that have come under my ob- 

 servation, nurserymen are in fault, in lowering their 

 prices in order to draw more custom, and then being 

 often compelled to engage ignorant and cheap labor 

 to perform the work. 



The strictest care should be exercised in remov- 

 ing trees, and price enough be charged, so that pur- 

 chasers may get all the roots as well as the tops. 

 The men should commence digging one and a half 

 to two feet from the tree, opening a trench parallel 

 to the row of trees, always keeping the edge of the 

 spade towards the body of the tree. When the bot- 

 tom of the trench is below the roots, a digging fork 

 should be used to remove a portion of the ball of 

 earth from around the roots. The spades may then 

 be pushed under this ball, and by a gentle and con- 

 tinuous pulling the tree will readily be lifted with 

 all its roots. If the tree is to be transplanted near 

 by, the earth may be left on, but if it is going some 

 distance from the nursery, the earth must be shaken 

 off in such a way that the roots may not be in 

 jured. Trees should be placed under cover as soon 

 as they are dug out, and the roots protected from 



