52 BULLETIN 816, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



like the taste of the bark or tear it off for the sake of having some- 

 thing to do. 



Guards are of many forms (fig. 36), from stakes 2^ inches square 

 set 3 feet in the ground and extending 6 feet above, with heavy 

 netting placed about the tree and stapled to the stake, to heavy 

 wooden cribs of four stakes and intermediate slats and wrought- 

 iron patterns of many forms. 



The trees should be firmly secured to the tops of the guards so 

 that they will not swing against them in the wind and be rubbed. 

 This is best done by securing the tree in place in the guard by two 

 loops of pieces of old garden hose, soft leather, or rope, in such a 

 way as not to bind the tree too tightly while keeping it from swing- 

 ing much or rubbing. The essentials are a firm support for the tree 

 while young with reasonable protection of the trunk from careless 

 depredations until the tree has reached a diameter of 6 inches or 

 more. 



LATER CARE. 



If after planting, the season is dry and it becomes necessary to 

 apply water, the ground should be soaked thoroughly, and as soon 

 as it has dried sufficiently to work up loosely it should be hoed or 

 raked to make a good earth mulch. A mulch of strawy manure or 

 litter may be used in place of the earth mulch if desired. Tlie 

 watering should not require repeating for a week or more. 



If the weather becomes warm soon after planting and , the trees 

 come into leaf, wither, and droop, further pruning may save them. 

 The reason for the difficulty is probably that the growth of the top 

 has been greater than the newly formed roots can support ; therefore 

 the additional pruning is likely to restore the balance between the 

 top growth and root growth. At least three-fourths of the remain- 

 ing young wood should be removed. This may leave the tree looking 

 almost like a bean pole, but if it induces a vigorous root growth 

 the top can easily be re-formed. 



Young trees should have an annual inspection, and all crossing 

 branches and any that are not well placed to form a good head 

 should be removed. Attention should be given also to all forks, 

 and where two branches start almost parallel to one another or at a 

 small angle, making a fork liable to split apart as the tree grows, 

 one branch should be removed. Where three branches start from 

 almost the same point there is little likelihood of their splitting apart, 

 but with only two growmg at a less angle than 30° there is liable 

 to be trouble in the case of most kinds of trees. On trees on which 

 few but long shoots form, it may be well to remove the ends of such 

 shoots. As a rule, it is undesirable to use for street planting trees 

 with this kind of growth. Young trees should be trained into a 

 desirable shape by the use of a pruning knife each year, so that a 

 saw will not be necessary later. Some trees have a tendency to 



