TREES THEIR PLANTING AND CARE. 55 



soil be poor, some fine compost must be put in around 

 them. 



Unfermented manures in large quantities, or fertilizers 

 containing the salts of potash or soda, should never be placed 

 in contact with the roots, but, if used at all, should be spread 

 on and worked into the surface-soil. 



The space to be prepared fur the roots of each tree should 

 be considerably larger than the spread of the roots, varying 

 the size according to the soil; the poorer the soil the larger 

 should be the space that is worked up. 



Digging Trees for Transplanting. 



More trees die from injury received in digging than from 

 any other cause, and the greatest care must be exercised in 

 this work, as so much of the success in transplanting 

 depends upon how well the work is done. Without a good 

 root system, no matter how favorable the other conditions 

 are, there can he but little growth. 



In digging the trees the first thing to be done is to 

 remove the surface-soil down to the roots and then to cut 

 a trench around the tree at a distance of from 1 to 4 feet, 

 according to its size. With young trees, or those that have 

 been transplanted once or more, cutting down with a sharp 

 spade in a circle around the trunk will be all that is neces- 

 sary, when, with the aid of a strong spade on each side and 

 a strong man to pull, the tree may be loosened from the 

 soil with a good supply of roots. If the trees be large, the 

 soil must be removed from the trench to the depth of the 

 lowest roots, which will be from one to two feet, and the 

 roots be then loosened and freed from the soil, until the 

 ball can be lifted from the hole or raised upon planks to be 



