BEAUTIFYING GROUNDS 



137 



the soil should be pressed firmly about the plant to cause a 

 supply of moisture to reach the roots. Watering at trans- 

 planting time is always advisable because it washes the soil 

 particles together and also supplies needed moisture. Ee- 

 moval of a few leaves, if the plants be green ones, is sometimes 

 necessary. This is to prevent evaporation taking place more 

 rapidly than the roots can take up water. 



3. Heeling-In.— Students should practice heeling-in shrubs or 



young fruit trees to prevent injury 



to them while waiting to be planted 



in permanent locations. Dig a deep 



trench with one side sloping, laying 



the trees or shrubs down on the 



sloping side of the trench and cov- 

 ering the roots with an abundance 



of loose soil. 



Heeling-in is a rapid process 

 and may be practiced with plants 

 brought from a distance while 

 the planting process is going on, 



or until it is done. Large num- Fig so.— when a peach, apple or 



other fruit tree is first set out it should 



berS of plants or bundles of be pruned to three or four limbs which 



^ _ are the future main branches. They 



plants may be put in a trench must extend in different directions and 



■*■ ./J. ^ be located at different heights. 



together and covered at once. 



Nothing is better than soil to maintain the life of plants wait- 

 ing to be permanently planted. 



4. Pruning Young Trees. — Bring to the school a number of 

 young trees or branches of trees from the woods, which may corre- 

 spond to young trees. Let students select the branches which they 

 think should be saved to form the future head of the young trees. 

 Study "a" and "b" (Fig. 80). Figures 81 and 82 represent trees 

 headed low at pruning time. If roots be on the trees you have, 

 suggest the pruning* of the extra long roots or any broken or split 

 parts. 



The low heading of trees (Figs. 81 and 82) makes the 

 future pruning, spraying, and picking all the more easily done 

 than if the heading is too high. 



^\^ 



