The top soil, if of good quality, may be used, but it is better to dis- 

 card the poorer subsoil and replace it with loam. Manure should 

 be sparingly used and thoroughly incorporated with the loam, care 

 being taken not to bring it in too close contact with the roots. Towns 

 and cities which do much transplanting might make good use of 

 composted street cleanings, and if land were available for a small 

 nursery it could be used to good advantage by tree wardens and 

 foresters. 



When a tree is being set out the soil about the roots should be 

 well tamped. Most people apply water to the roots at the time of 

 transplanting, and if the season is an unusually dry one the watering 

 may be repeated occasionally, but persistent watering is injurious 

 and many young trees have been killed in this way. If trees are 

 kept well tamped when set it is not essential that water should be 

 applied at all, and it may even be injurious by washing the soil from 

 the roots and leaving air spaces. One of the most essential features 

 in transplanting is to secure as nearly as possible normal conditions 

 of the soil about the roots. 



Watering large trees near their trunks is not a wise practice, since 

 the feeding roots are quite a distance from the tree, and one might sup- 

 pose that an elementary knowledge of tree growth would discourage 

 anyone from doing this. 



After the tree is set, a mulching of hay, straw or horse manure 

 containing much straw may be used to help to conserve the moisture 

 in the soil and keep down the grass and weeds which rob the soil of 

 its moisture and food. 



Transplanted trees require a certain amount of pruning to accom- 

 modate the leaf and root systems to one another, and it is generally 

 necessary to cut back the branches to meet these requirements. 

 (See Pruning.) 



There are differences of opinion in regard to the transplanting of 

 trees, and undoubtedly more than one method may be followed. 

 Opinions also differ in regard to the best time of year for transplant- 

 ing, but it may be said that most people prefer the spring to the fall. 

 We are ot the opinion that it is not advisable to plant too small trees, 

 preferring elms and maples 2 J^ to 4 or 6 inches in diameter, since 

 they take hold of the soil better. 



At the present day many very large trees and shrubs are being 

 transplanted successfully, and special machines have been designed 



