TREES AND SHRUBS ON THE FARM 7 



principles involved are carefully followed, many places now devoid 

 of trees can be easily made more homelike and attractive. A little 

 attention as to the time of planting, selection of trees, trimming tops 

 and roots, preparation of land, digging holes, filling in dirt around 

 trees, watering, and perhaps shading in the case of evergreens, will 

 go a long way towards success in transplanting these native trees. 



In transplanting deciduous trees two important points should be 

 kept in mind. (1) Many native trees, growing unmolested from 

 seed, tend to develop a tap-root system, or at least a coarse, straggling 

 root system. In digging such trees it is difficult to get a root 

 system that is anywhere nearly proportioned to the top, and the 

 older the tree the more difficult is the problem. Large nursery- 

 grown trees are handled more easily for the simple reason that 

 they have been transplanted one or more times and have developed 

 a compact and more fibrous root system. In planting these native 

 trees, therefore, it is well to remember that small trees should be 

 chosen and by selecting those that grow in good soil rather than on 

 rocky hillsides we are pretty sure to get a root system that will 

 stand transplanting better. (2) Native trees, especially when grow- 

 ing in thick clumps, protect each other. Such trees can not be 

 expected to survive a sudden transition to open exposure on the 

 prairies. Losses from this cause can be minimized by selecting 

 specimens growing by themselves, or by first moving them to 

 nursery rows where they can be grown close together for two or 

 three years. They will thus be gradually adapted to exposed con- 

 ditions and the survivors will be suited for planting in permanent 

 positons. Of course where a great many trees are planted close 

 together as in a windbreak they afford each other more or less 

 protection. 



Greater care is necessary in handling evergreens as they are 

 in leaf all the time and will not stand neglect. The roots should 

 not be exposed at all to the air. If it is not possible to dig trees 

 with a ball of earth attached, the roots should be dipped in mud 

 and wrapped to prevent drying. Small trees twelve to fifteen inches 

 high should be selected and planted in small beds where they may 

 be given partial shade. Satisfactory shade may be provided by a 

 brush or lath screen placed twelve or eighteen inches above the 

 tops of the trees. A good screen may be made by nailing laths on 



