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the resinous sap, so that any amount of soaking will be of 

 no avail afterwards. The trees may look fresh and green 

 for a time, but will be dead in spite of their appearance. The 

 mellow earth should be made very firm about the roots, care 

 being taken that no caves or hollow places are left to dry out. 

 In the nurseries in transplanting large numbers of evergreens, 

 a tamper, larger than those used in setting fence posts, is 

 used to firm the earth about the roots; but precaution is 

 always taken to have loose earth on top to prevent baking. 

 For a few trees on a lawn, the mellow earth can be poked in 

 among the roots with the fingers protected by heavy gloves 

 and a blunt stick ; in firming the soil use the heel rather than 

 the ball of the foot, as much more effective work can be done. 

 If the soil is wet, no tamping must be done, as that would 

 puddle it and cause it to bake very hard. A little water 

 may be used until the hole is about half full, but care must 

 be taken to leave the earth loose on top. In nursery plant- 

 ing on a large scale, water is very rarely used, it being found 

 much better to plant when the soil is moist and tamp firmly. 

 If there is any clay or mud partly dried on the roots when 

 the trees are received, care should be taken to wash this off, 

 or at least to thoroughly wet it before planting. In shipping 

 evergreens, it is a common practice in nurseries to dip the 

 roots in thin mud, preferably clay, before shipping. This 

 u puddling" helps to retain moisture on the roots. The roots 

 are well packed in moss and tight packing insured by a 

 cleat across the box, permitting more freedom for the leafy 

 top to prevent heating; in addition to this, sufficient holes 

 are bored in the sides to permit free access of air to the leaves. 

 When the trees are received from the nursery unpack at 

 once, wash off or thoroughly wet the "puddled" earth on the 

 roots to give them a chance to begin work. If not 

 ready to plant immediately, the trees should be heeled-in in 

 a sheltered and shaded place. By this is meant that a trench 

 with sloping sides is dug deep enough so the roots are cov- 

 ered entirely with moist earth and the tops left free. The 



