Trees for Kansas^ 13 



CARE OF PLANTING STOCK. 



The care of the planting stock is of prime importance. The 

 trees should be handled at all times with the greatest care, 

 with full knowledge that they are perishable and that any ex- 

 posure of the roots is injurious to their future growth. After 

 the trees are received, they should be kept in a cool, shaded 

 place or be heeled in. If they are to be set within a day or 

 two, they will usually keep in perfect condition in the shipping 

 bundle, if properly protected. A cellar is an ideal place in 

 which to store them for a few days. When this is not available, 

 they, can be buried in an old straw pile. If several days are 

 likely to elapse before planting, it is advisable to unpack them, 

 heel them in, and tramp fresh soil firmly about the roots, after 

 which the tops may be covered with hay or straw for protection 

 against the sun and wind. If the trees are properly heeled in, 

 they will keep for a week or longer without injury. It is 

 seldom, however, that they need to be kept for this length of 

 time before a favorable planting day occurs. Actual planting 

 should be done only during favorable weather. It is impossible 

 to . protect a tree against exposure during periods of dry, 

 windy weather. A cloudy or damp day is the best time for 

 planting trees. The trees can then be handled without en- 

 dangering the roots, and the soil can be exposed without 

 serious drying. 



PREPARATION OF GROUND FOR PLANTING. 



The preparation of the ground for tree planting is, next to 

 the selection of the species for planting, the most important 

 step in successful tree growing. Trees can not grow unless 

 there is sufficient moisture in the soil to keep them in a thrifty 

 condition. A tree, when transplanted, is set in the ground 

 with less than twenty-five per cent of its former root system ; 

 consequently the first thing a newly planted tree must do is to 

 develop a new system of roots and establish itself in its loca- 

 tion. To do this, and at the same time to support a growth of 

 leaves, requires a liberal supply of moisture. The only way 

 to supply this moisture is to have it in the soil when the trees 

 are planted. 



Virgin prairie soil is unsuited for trees. The ground should 

 be broken and cropped at least one year before planting. If 

 cropping is not practical, the ground should be broken, thor- 



