130 SOUTH DAKOTA AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE. 



tree should be liberally mulched with straw or other litter. Be- 

 fore planting any bruised roots should be pruned with a clean 

 cut, the cut surface to be on the under side of the root. If dry 

 the roots should be plunged into water, but of course it is best 

 never to let the roots of trees become dry. 



The amount of top pruning depends entirely upon the con- 

 dition of the roots where the tree is ready to set. In this dry 

 climate it is necessary to cut back more severely than in the 

 Eastern States. It will always pay to cover the wounds made in 

 pruning with wax, clay or paint, grafting wax being the best 

 material. When tall trees are used, they are made more sure by 

 wrapping the trunk with old cotton cloth or paper, which may 

 be wet occasionally until the tree is established. This treatment 

 serves the double purpose of preventing evaporation and lessen- 

 ing the liability to sunscald. 



All the trees in a street should be set at equal distances from 

 each other. And by far the best effect is secured by planting an 

 entire street with one species, especially if all of the trees in it 

 can be of about the same size and planted the same day. In 

 this way with the full development of the trees the bare street 

 will be transformed into a beautiful avenue. No better celebra- 

 tion of arbor day could be devised than for all the property hold- 

 ers on a village street to unite in planting their road way with 

 trees as above indicated. Many of the streets in the city of 

 Washington have been planted in this way, elm being used for 

 one avenue, basswood for another, maple for another, etc.; great 

 variety and beauty has resulted. Necessarily our range of choice 

 is limited, but even with the few suitable species we have a great 

 improvement could be made in street planting. 



In small lawns trees and shrubs are best set regularly, but in 

 large lawns, school grounds or parks, groups of irregular shape 

 with curved outlines are more pleasing. Such groups are usually 

 placed at the junction of walks, or to hide unsightly objects, but 

 they should always leave room for broad stretches of grass 

 between. The proper grouping of trees and shrubs is a 

 difficult art which cannot be outlined in a brief Bulletin. Suc- 

 cessfully accomplished, nothing can be more pleasing than 

 groups of plants properly proportioned to the size and shape of 



