PLANTING AND TRANSPLANTING 45 



PRUNING TREES AFTER TRANSPLANTING. After the transplanting, 

 the top and the root growth of a tree must be balanced. It is necessary 

 to remove a portion of the root growth in order to make it practicable 

 to handle the tree, and the removal of roots and lifting of the tree from 

 its existing location shuts off much of the supply of moisture which goes 

 into the tree. In every plant that is moved there is stored within the 

 plant a certain amount of food material which becomes available 

 immediately when growth starts. A portion of the top of the tree 

 should therefore be removed in order to lessen the possible areas of 

 evaporation and areas of leaf growth, which draw heavily upon the 

 store of food in the tree; otherwise this reserve supply is apt to be ex- 

 hausted before root growth is started sufficiently to provide the tree 

 with new moisture. There are instances when it is not necessary to 

 prune because the full benefit of the top is immediately required. 

 The latter, however, will require more care for the tree during the 

 summer months and entails a greater liability to loss because of the 

 unbalanced condition of the top and root growth. A tree that is 

 properly pruned at the time of transplanting will, within three years, 

 equal in development a similar tree that is transplanted, not pruned, 

 and given much necessary additional care. 



FERTILIZING NEWLY TRANSPLANTED TREES. In transplanting 

 trees there is great danger that they may be over-fertilized. A tree 

 which has just been transplanted has suffered a severe shock to its 

 root system. It is not in a condition to utilize a great quantity of food. 

 It must be supplied with food slowly and only in such quantities as it 

 can readily take up through its root system. There is great danger of 

 over-stimulating newly transplanted trees at the time when their leaves 

 are not sufficiently developed to digest the food which is supplied, 

 and hence instead of forcing more growth in the tree, a condition 

 is apt to be brought about in the soil surrounding the roots and in the 

 tree itself which retards growth instead of encouraging it. At the 

 time a tree is transplanted a normal amount of well-rotted manure 

 should be worked into the soil but not in direct contact with the roots. 

 Not until the tree shows evident signs of regaining its normal vigour 

 by developing leaves which are full size, and new wood of a normal 

 length, should the tree be heavily fertilized. Such trees may be 

 "tuned up" by feeding them with a mixed fertilizer of potash, dried 

 blood, and bone meal. Such a fertilizer may be fed to trees during the 



