114 PKINCIPLES OF AMERICAN FOEESTRY. 



pactly between the roots, so that there will be no large 

 air-spaces among them. If the trees are large, it is a 

 good plan to stake them, so they cannot be blown about 

 by the wind. The more tender trees should not be trans- 

 planted in the Northern States in autumn, and even the 

 hardiest kinds should never be moved at this season 

 unless the soil is moist. 



Transplanting Evergreens. When seedhng cone-bear- 

 ing Evergreens are two years old they should be trans- 

 planted, and this should be done about once in three 

 years afterwards, until they are moved to their perma- 

 nent places. As Evergreens are very sensitive to being 

 moved, this requires more care than with most decidu- 

 ous trees. The most important point is to not allow 

 the roots to have even the appearance of being dry. In 

 handling small Evergreens in the field it is often a good 

 plan to keep them in a pail containing enough water to 

 cover their roots or keep them in wet moss. They may 

 be transplanted in the spring, as soon as the ground 

 works easily and the roots have white tips, and they 

 may be safely transplanted even up to the time that 

 the new growth shows three inches, but at this late date 

 more care must be taken in doing the work than when it 

 is done earlier. Evergreens can sometimes be moved 

 successfully in August, or even in the autumn, if they are 

 to be carried only a short distance and the conditions 

 of the weather and land are favorable; but this is not 

 a time for general planting, and it is seldom advisable 

 to do it at this season. 



The Very General Error is Current that June is the 

 best time to plant out Evergreens. They may be trans- 

 planted at this season successfully if the conditions are 

 just right in every particular, but they are much more 

 liable to fail then than when the work is done earlier 

 in the season. At whatever time of the year Evergreens 



