HOW TO PROCURE TREES. 25 



from sight. The holes should be considerably 

 larger than to allow of stretching the roots out 

 straight in all directions. The subsoil should 

 be spaded to the depth of a foot below the posi- 

 tion of the tree. If this is very poor, good loam 

 may be worked in with it, but it is not wise to 

 put manure in the bottoms of the holes. The 

 trees should stand at about the same depth that 

 they grew previously, not burying the roots too 

 deeply in the subsoil, but allowing them free 

 course near the surface. If necessary, it is bet- 

 ter to bring a slight mound around the trunk, 

 rather than to sink the roots below the surface 

 soil. The earth should be worked in and among 

 the roots evenly and with great firmness, so that 

 no air spaces shall be left, and the roots shall be 

 all separated and in close contact with the soil. 

 This is the test work, and it should be done 

 slowly, with little soil at a time, worked in with 

 the hands if necessary, and made firm with a 

 packing mallet, or with the toe of the foot. The 

 soil should be dry and friable when this work is 

 done. It is a mistake to select a rainy day for 

 planting, as it is impossible to do good work 

 with muddy soil. After the planting is finished, 

 nothing more will be required, in the fall of the 

 year, except a surface mulch of litter to protect 

 from frost. In the spring it is well to give one 



