CULTIVATION AND PROPAGATION 35 



is stood up, team hooked to the platform and the tree dragged 

 off to the ground. The tree may drop two feet without injury. 

 The platforms are dragged to the hole and balls less than four 

 feet rolled into the hole. Larger balls have the platform dragged 

 into the hole and the platform pulled out, holding the tree in 

 position by a hammock. To straighten the tree, tramp the 

 earth solid under it until it stands erect. Take off the canvas, 

 spread out the side roots, pack the earth and anchor as with 

 deciduous trees. Keep the ball moist; examine it once a month 

 or more often by digging or boring into the ball during the 

 first two years. Evergreens moved with a too small ball or 

 with not enough fibers in the ball or with the watering neg- 

 lected, may grow three inches a year for the first two or 

 three years. If properly moved, they wiU grow six inches or 

 more a year — half their normal growth. 



"Deciduous trees may be moved with balls of earth by the 

 above method, and it has proved an aid with difficult species, 

 as beech, oak, liquidambar, tulip. Especially when previously 

 transplanted or root-pruned, the above trees three and one- 

 half inches in diameter moved with a ball of earth four feet in 

 diameter are very successful, while without a ball many are 

 lost or the growth is much slower. Investigation should be 

 made to see whether this is because of less disturbance of the 

 roots or because there is carried with the roots and soil a 

 mycelium of a fungus which aids the roots to take up plant- 

 food and moisture. 



"The time of year for moving trees is of minor importance. 

 It is overemphasized by purchaser, landscape architects, and 

 nurserymen, and results in heavy financial loss to nurserymen 

 in congesting sales and their own planting in the short spring 

 season. It greatly lessens the total amount of planting needed 

 for forest, shelter-belt, landscape, fruit, and other economic 



