58 PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS UPON TREE-PLANTING. 



or six feet from the ground, to which strong hay bauds should be fastened, and then 

 to each stake a piece of fence-wire, which will uot shrink or expaud. 



In the transit, the roots should be secured with moist fine straw, hay, or moss, so 

 that they shall not at all lose their native condition. When the tree is thus set 

 a few pailsfull of water may bo poured upon the ground so as to settle it, as if a 

 great rain had done the work. When dry, spade up often, and mellow the soil to give 

 the air circulating and condensing room iu hot weather. Then replace the mulching 

 about the tree. The less of earth retained iu which the tree formerly stood the better, 

 as from it the substance or nutriment necessary to feed the tree is entirely exliausted, 

 and the myriads of feeding roots runuing off iu every direction have been left in the 

 ground. To retain the entire ball as when removed in the frost, would be to uot only 

 stop the growth of the tree, but to starve it to death before the librous roots could ex- 

 tend far enough to procure necessary food. I have had large evergreen trees stand 

 thus, scarcely living for three or four years, and only from freely feeding the ball with 

 liquid manure were they kept alive ; for iu our ignorance we supposed wo must remove 

 as much earth as possible to make an evergreen live. Wo now send our large trees 

 olf by the car-load that are several days on the trausit, and yet all are reported to live. 



The difference between the forest-grown evergreen and the nursery-grown is, the 

 former has but few roots, the latter has them in great abundance, and numerous in 

 proportion to the number of times it has been transplanted, by which a great mass of 

 central roots hold in their custody with what may be called " a death grasp," a quan- 

 tity of earth, while the former will retain none. The tree also makes a more compact 

 shade and more beautiful for oft transplanting. Perhaps no tree in the whole forest 

 family is more tenacious of life when rightly handled, and in the right season, than 

 the evergreen, and no tree is more sure to die from improper exposure. The sap of the 

 evergreen is resinous, and coagulates in the sun's heat as soon as the bark of the root 

 becomes warm in a dry atmosphere, and cannot be dissolved by any application what- 

 ever ; the flow of life is obstructed and consequently the tree dies. But let the roots 

 be kept moist, the great supply of resin in every department of the tree more active 

 and abundant from its ever-living foliage, every leaf of which forming a part of the 

 active life-giving influence, becomes more tenacious of life than any other tree. Pine 

 trees were takeu from my ground last spring, each one of which filled a lumber-wagon 

 box, and only one could be carried iu the load, aud yet grew apparently as well as if 

 left standing in their native bed, though not as much. There have been many hun- 

 dreds of large trees takeu annually from my grounds, and yet only in the case of bad 

 treatment have any perished. 



To the above the secretary adds a remfirk, that it is highly important 

 before setting trees that have had their roots puddled, to dip them in 

 water to dissolve or soften the soil that has dried upon them. If re- 

 ceived late in the fall, he advises that tbey be heeled in, in a sloping 

 position, just before the ground freezes, the soil being finely mingled 

 with the roots and between the tops, and thus cover tbem completely. 

 If planted in the fall, they will usually dry out, especially in asnowless 

 winter, and all living circulation, except in the roots alone, will be 

 thereby forever stopped. He adds as his experience, that the white 

 pine is one of the easiest and safest of all evergreens to plant. 



MISTAKES IN PLANTING FOR ORNAMENT.^ 



In planting for ornament, a want of taste is often exhibited in arranging the speci- 

 mens. A little careful thinking before commencing operations will often avoid after- 

 EBgrets over our mistakes. It is a mistake to plant trees too close to our dwellings. It is 

 a mistake to plant all trees in parallel lines, as they look stifl' and repulsive to the eye. 

 Still, one row running parallel to the public road is admissible; but in this case do not 

 plant them too near together, so as to obstruct a view of the road when they attain 

 size and age. We may also suggest that obstruction of desirable points of view should 

 bo considered in all our planting of trees. Plant the inside rows in graceful curves! 

 lines, with here and there a group of from eight to ten acres. Plant ouly one variety 

 of trees in each group ; but do not plant all the trees iu curves and groups. Single 

 specimens properly distributed are objects of interest to the eye, and vniere the size of 

 grounds permits eight or ten trees in a circle present a fine appearance. Do not mix 

 deciduous trees with evergreens in groups, rows, or circles. Ic gives a mixed, broken 

 expression to the lawn in winter. While we may imitate nature in our groupings, 

 yet it is a part of the art of prairie and city lawn-making to modify, and even improvie 

 on nature's capricious modes of planting aud arranging. 



' From a report by Samuel Bowers, with discussions that followed. Icnca Hvi-t. 

 RexM>rt, 1875, p. 97. 



