below and conserves this for the use of the tree. Second, it 
breaks up the baked surface, and permits the ready access of the 
requisite air for the best growth of the tree. After the first 
thorough cultivation in May of which one man can attend to 
about 50 trees per day, this later surface cultivation can be done 
at the rate of about 200 trees per man per day. Should there be 
6,000 trees to cultivate, this will have taken 120 days work for 
one man in May, or if six men are employed, it will require 20 
days. Then this surface cultivation follows at regular intervals, 
and should be done every ten or fifteen days, and particularly 
after hard rains, which beat down the soil and make that caked 
appearance which is detrimental to the growth of the tree. If 
dry weather is continuous, another force operating two wagons 
carrying water is spending its time in a thorough watering of 
the trees particularly those of the current and preceding. years 
planting, using three and four buckets to each tree. By the use 
of spading forks a sufficient loosening and opening of the ground 
is made to permit the water to go down to and beneath the roots, 
then by covering the surface with dry earth or mulch, this 
thorough watering will last the tree a week or more. In passing, 
it might be well to state that watering two or three times a 
week during continuous dry weather by the property owners, in 
the manner above described, will materially hasten the growth’ 
of the tree, and enable it to attain a size and spread of branches 
that ordinarily will not be attained in two or three years growth. 
Meantime the trees in the nursery are requiring cultivation and 
watering, when dry, to prepare them for future use in street 
tree planting. July and August is also the season for the har- 
vesting of the rough feed, such as oats, millet, corn fodder and 
Feterita for the use of the teams, necessary for the handling of 
the work. The cultivation and watering extend through the dry 
weather, often-times commencing in May and extending through 
September. Trees that would otherwise perisn for lack of water 
are preserved and kept growing, thereby preventing the loss of a 
year’s growth of the tree, and the cost of replacing. In Septem- 
ber and October the leaves in the Parks and Cemeteries begin to 
fall, and from that time on until they cease falling in November 
or December, one team and a man are required in the prepara- 
tion of a quantity of mulch composed of layers of fallen leaves 
and loads of street sweepings for use the following year. Large 
preparations have to be made in this way a year ahead, to fur- 
nish the requisite amount of mulch for street tree planting, for 
mulching trees already planted, and supplying orders to citizens 
for mulch for lawns and flower gardens. In October prepara- 
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