CARTER: ILLINOIS TREES: THEIR DISEASES 33 



Feeding Rates for Evergreens. — Small evergreens planted in 

 beds or closely planted in rows should have applications of soy- 

 bean meal or cottonseed meal at the rate of 5 to 6 pounds per 

 100 square feet of ground surface, or applications of 10-6-4 or 

 8-5-3 tree food at the rate of 2 to 4 pounds per 100 square feet. 

 The tree food should be worked into the topsoil with a hoe or 

 soaked in with water. 



Specimen evergreens of such kinds as pine, spruce, fir, and 

 cedar can be fed tree foods having the formulas mentioned in the 

 section "Dry Feeding." For small shrubby types, apply the plant 

 food twice a year, in early spring and about June 15, at the rate 

 of one-half pound to 1 pound per plant. For large specimen trees, 

 apply the food once a year, in early spring or in the fall, at the 

 rate of 2 to 21/4 pounds per inch of trunk diameter at breast 

 height. Place the food in holes beneath the branch spread (Fig. 

 30). The holes should be made with a soil auger or punch-bar — 

 15 holes for each inch of trunk dbh, each hole 114 to 2 inches 

 in diameter and 12 to 15 inches deep. 



Watering 



Although shade trees generally do well in Illinois without 

 special watering, lack of water in drought years or as a result 

 of temporary or permanent lowering of the soil water table can 

 cause serious injury and bring about death of the trees. Water- 

 ing the ground surface beneath trees does little good. But ap- 

 plying water through a grid of holes reaching to the root level 

 (holes such as are required for tree feeding) is effective. Water- 

 ing lances (Fig. 32) offer a convenient means for soaking the soil 

 around tree roots. Generous waterings at 2- to 3-week intervals 

 give better results than frequent light waterings. 



Pruning 



Pruning can be done to improve the shape and general ap- 

 pearance of trees, to remove branches and stems damaged by 

 wind, ice, and other types of mechanical agents, and to eliminate 

 diseased and dead twigs and branches. In pruning branches, 

 avoid ugly wounds caused by splitting of wood and tearing of 

 bark. In removing branches too large to hold with one hand, 

 make three separate cuts as shown in Fig. 33. First, make the 

 undercut. A, 12 to 18 inches out from the main stem. Then make 

 the overcut, 5, 2 to 3 inches farther out. These two cuts will 

 cause the branch to break off by its own weight. Complete the 



