ARBOR DAY. 41 



make good and desirable trees at three to four years. I 

 would recommend the following evergreens for Southern 

 Illinois : white, Scotch, and red pine, Norway and white 

 spruce, Irish juniper and red cedar. 



THE TREES AND PLANTING. After being well planted, 

 trees in our climate should have the earth around them 

 stirred quite often in the early summer months, and occa- 

 sionally through the entire summer. They should also be 

 mulched with green weeds, half rotten straw, or any sub- 

 stance which will retain moisture. A worthy friend of 

 ours having purchased a variety of trees for a park, asked 

 for instructions in regard to their planting and after-care. 

 We replied by telling him : 1st, Do not expose the roots 

 of any tree to a warm or cold drying wind ; let them stay 

 packed with damp straw in your wagon, taking them out 

 as wanted, and planting one at a time. 2d, Do not crowd 

 your trees into small, deep holes, but provide for each one 

 a hole large enough to take in the roots in their natural 

 position, and with some room to spare. 3d, If the soil is 

 thin and poor, plow or dig out at least ten inches of the 

 clay sub-soil and fill up with good, black surface soil from 

 under a tough sod ; or take sod and all and chop up with 

 a spade in the bottom of the hole, thus making a rich bed 

 of good, black dirt to set the tree on, and so to work in 

 and cover the roots. 4th, Bear in mind that if the place 

 where you want to plant your tree is not favorable to 

 6 



