130 WOOD AND (GARDEN 



time is the best for ail iiardy plants oi large or 

 moderate size. 



I have no patience with slovenly planting. I like 

 to have the ground prepared some months in advance, 

 and when the proper time comes, to do the actual plant- 

 ing as well as possible. The hole in the already pre- 

 pared ground is taken out so that the tree shall stana 

 exactly right for depth, though in this dry soil it is 

 well to make the hole an inch or two deeper, in order 

 to leave the tree standing in the centre of a snailow 

 depression, to allow of a good watering now and tnen 

 during the following summer. The hole must be 

 made wide enough to give easy space for the most 

 outward-reaching of the roots; they must De spreaa 

 out on all sides, carefaUy combing them out with, the 

 fingers, so that they all lay out to the best advantafi;e. 

 Any roots that have been bruised, or have broken or 

 jagged ends, are cut off with a sharp knife on the home- 

 ward side of the injury. Most gardeners when they 

 plant, after the first spadeful or two has been thrown 

 over the root, shake the bush with an up and down 

 joggling movement. This is useful in the case of plants 

 with a good lot of bushy root, such as Berberis, helping 

 to get the grains of earth well in among the root ; but 

 in tree planting, where the roots are laid out flat, it is of 

 course useless. In our light soil, the closer and firmer 

 the earth is made round the newly-planted tree the 

 better, and strong staking is most important, in order to 

 gave the newly-placed root from disturbance by draggmg. 



