A Chapter on Planting Trees. 23 



— ^but little food, and no more water than will keep the soil 

 moist. It should be borne in mind, that a tree can be 

 drowned, starved, surfeited, b?mised, and in other careless 

 ways brought to an " untimely end,^'' or, what is worse, ren- 

 dered "a cumberer of the ground." 



9. The Fall and the Spring are suitable periods for trans- 

 planting all kinds of Fruit and Ornamental trees. Ever- 

 greens succeed best when removed in the spring. 



10. I should prefer to remove large trees in the fall, 

 (although they generally do well when transplanted in the 

 spring,) as the earth, during the winter, becomes settled 

 about the roots, and they are ready to throw out fibres in 

 the spring. A few leaves, or some litter, should be placed 

 around the stem of the tree thus transplanted, and some 

 stones put thereon, to keep the covering from being carried 

 away by the wind. In June, the stones and litter may be 

 removed. 



11. The roots to large trees when transplanted, are not 

 generally as long in proportion to their size, as to smaller 

 ones ; it is therefore best to take off a part of the top, to cor- 

 respond in some measure to the loss of the roots. 



12. When a tree has been a long time out of the soil, and 

 becomes more or less dry, — it is well to bury the entire tree, 

 " root and branch," in the earth, bringing the soil into con- 

 tact with every part of the plant, and let it remain buried 

 for some seven to ten days. Some cloudy, or rainy day, 

 take it up and plant it ; this is much better than a cold bath 

 for its roots, with the burning rays of the sun on its top, for 

 twenty-four hours, as is sometimes prescribed. 



Roxhury, Nov. 1849. 



It gives us great pleasure to offer such advice from so 

 good a source. Mr. Walker informs us in a note, that the 

 above article was " drawn up for the particular use of a 

 friend," but upon a " second reading," he thought it might 

 meet the wants and wishes of many enquirers, and conse- 

 quently sent us the " rough draft," for such alteration, cor- 

 rection, and addition as we deemed advisable, to make it of 

 suflficient interest to our readers. 



