EVERGREENS 



501 



so as to prevent winds from shifting it from that position, 

 if it is more than 5 feet high or is in an exposed position. 

 It is more difficult to get a tree back in proper position 

 after it is once planted than to keep it so, although the 

 precautions necessary may seem useless at the time. 

 After setting the plant frequent waterings will enable 

 the remaining roots to supply sufficient water until new 

 roots form. A spraying of the tops several times a day 

 is also an assistance in helping to maintain humid 

 atmosphere about the foliage and thus reducing the 

 amount of evaporation. This is not imperative except 

 with large trees or in dry climates. In localities subject 

 to persistent drying winds a protection on the windward 

 side of newly-planted trees is helpful. This could be 

 made of a framework of light lumber covered with bur- 

 lap. In the humid climate of the Atlantic seaboard such 

 a protection is seldom necessary. 



In selecting trees for transplanting nursery-grown 

 stock is preferable, although there are times and condi- 

 tions when collected stock can be used to advantage. 

 Due to frequent transplanting, the root system of nursery 

 stock is compact with many fibrous roots so that it can 

 be dug easily with a ball of earth that preserves intact a 

 large proportion of the roots of the plant. With the wild 

 plants that may, upon occasion, be collected for planting, 

 the root system consists of a comparatively few roots 

 tliat have run to long distances in search of food. When 

 these plants are dug, usually a large proportion of these 

 roots are cut off so that only a small proportion of them 

 are secured with the plant, hence the chance of success 

 is much reduced. With very small sizes or by special 

 methods of handling larger sizes it is possible to succeed 

 in transplanting collected trees, but the loss in trans- 

 planting is usually very much larger than with nursery- 

 grown stock. 



It is not desirable to trim well-grown evergreens at 

 this time. Carefully grown plants are frequently trans- 

 planted in the nursery, so that the roots are pruned and 

 encouraged to grow in a compact fibrous mass. When 

 this is followed by careful digging and balling it insures 

 tlie retention of such a large proportion of the root system 

 that a reduction of the top to balance root loss is not 

 necessary. Further, the character of growth of a large 

 proportion of evergreens, including most of the cone- 

 bearing trees, is such that but little pruning can be done 

 without ruining the shape of the tree. The growth of the 

 most of such trees is from the young wood and if this 

 is destroyed they will seldom start new growth from the 

 old wood in the way that most deciduous trees will do. 

 Therefore, the only pruning that can be done is to trim 

 off some of the young wood, being sure to leave sufficient 

 for the continuation of the growth of every branch. For 

 formal effects, of course, pruning is necessary but this 



must be done regularly, for if the plant once gets too big 

 there is no trimming it back and beginning over again, as 

 can often be done with deciduous plants, or with many 

 of the broad-leaved evergreens, as holly, box, magnolias 

 and a host of other southern plants. 



In order to keep the trees growing well it is desirable 

 to give frequent applications of well-rotted manure to 

 the cone-bearing trees and to keep them well cultivated 

 or well mulched. The same treatment is good for many 

 of the broad-leaved evergreens also, but such plants as 

 rhododendrons and mountain laurel should have annual 

 mulches of oak leaves and no cultivation of the surface 

 of the ground under any circumstances, and no lime or 



A GUIDE FOR TRANSPLANTING 



The stippled areas show where late summer or fall trans- 

 planting; may be done with a good prospect of success. 



wood ashes even in minute quantities. If the mulch of 

 oak leaves is sufficiently heavy no objectionable weeds 

 will grow, but if weeds should grow they could be pulled 

 without hoeing the surface. 



If ornamental plantings are well made it is usually 

 not desirable to stimulate a rapid growth after the plants 

 are well established. On good soil they will usually main- 

 tain themselves in good condition without cultivation and 

 with only an occasional application of manure on the sur- 

 face. As a rule, the principal attention needed is to 

 watch for possible insect attacks and to thin the plantings 

 before they begin to overcrowd. In order to get quick 

 effects all plantings are apt to be made too thick for 

 the ultimate stand. This is entirely proper but attention 

 should be given to thinning as soon as the plants begin 

 to touch, so that the permanent trees will not be ruined 

 before it is done. In the final arrangement it is entirely 

 appropriate for the plants to grow together and some- 

 what crowd each other, but this should not be permitted 

 in the younger plantings before they have had their final 

 thiruiing. 



