An August-planted windbreak in western New YorK. It is generally safe to transplant evergreens during this month if the season has not been unusually dry 



Shall Evergreens Be Planted in August? 



A SYMPOSIUM OF PLANTERS' EXPERIENCES IN VARIOUS SECTIONS OF THE COUNTRY-WHY THIS MONTH, WHEN 

 OTHER WORK IS SLACK, OFFERS SPECIAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR SETTING OUT WINDBREAKS AND SPECIMEN TREES 



There is no universally "best" time to plant coniferous evergreens. Under proper conditions, you may plant them equally well in any month of the 

 year, but on account of the habits of growth the months of May and August are, generally, to be preferred. Whether spring planting is better than 

 August planting, or vice versa, depends entirely upon the local conditions of moisture, not only in the soil but also in the air. 



The reason why it is generally more difficult to transplant an evergreen than to transplant a deciduous tree is that evaporation of water is going on 

 from the leaf surfaces of evergreens for twelve months in the year; whereas in the case of the deciduous trees, there is a cessation of evaporation during 

 the winter. 



Nearly all evergreen trees, especially the pines and spruces, make a vigorous root growth during August, and if they are transplanted before this 

 growth has attained its maximum, they will take good hold of the new ground before the winter sets in. For that reason, August planting must not be 

 confused with fall planting — by which season the root growth has stopped. 



In regions where the spring is hot and dry and the late summer not excessively trying, August planting of evergreens is sound practice. On the other 

 hand, where the late summer is much drier than the early months of the year, spring planting should be done. 



The key note to the whole situation seems to be this: If at this time of the year it is reasonably possible to move the trees so that they have sufficient 

 time to make root growth before winter, and if sufficient moisture can be given, either naturally or artificially, and if sufficient spraying can be given 

 after planting, the practice is perfectly safe. 



This caution, however, should be borne in mind: Successive seasons are not identical in the same locality, and the judgment of the individual 

 planter must be brought into play in all cases. 



In nurseries, August planting is adopted because there is more time, and advantage can thus be taken of an otherwise slack season; also, in such cases 

 the plants are moved but a very little distance and exposure of the roots to the air is reduced to a minimum. 



The Garden Magazine has made an effort to collect the evidence for and against August planting, and is favored with replies from many expe- 

 rienced planters in widely different parts of the country. Our conclusions from the evidence before us are presented in the foregoing paragraphs. Below, 

 we give the essential facts from the letters of the various individuals. 



Success in Western New York 



John Dunbar, New York 



I HAVE transplanted coniferous ever- 

 greens at all times of the year, except 

 in the middle of winter, with varying success, 

 but my best results have been in late August. 

 In most of the Northeastern States, where 

 severe freezing weather rarely sets in before 

 November twenty-fifth, there is plenty of 

 time after the end of August for the plants 

 to make roots. 



By midsummer most pines, spruces, firs, 

 etc., have completed the season's growth. 

 In late summer, the moist soil is warm — in 

 fact, like a propagating bed — and as the roots 

 of an evergreen at this period are in great 

 activity it will, if transplanted carefully, 

 root abundantly before winter. 



I always saturate the soil with water before 

 filling up the hole completely, and allow it 

 to settle before filling in to the grade or level; 

 after that a substantial mulch of loose man- 

 ure is spread over the surface around the 



A sandy point on Long Island where there was no success until August planting was tried 



12 



tree. If the season is dry and the ground at 

 the end of summer is parched, I earnestly 

 advise not planting until spring. I have 

 done late fall planting under stress of cir- 

 cumstances, but always with more losses 

 than from planting at any other season of 

 the year. 



After summer planting, the next best 

 period in my experience is late spring when 

 the buds are just beginning to swell; the late 

 Josiah Hoopes considered this the best time. 

 If a period of hot, dry weather sets in after a 

 late spring season, the roots are liable to dry 

 out, which means extra care to soak the soil 

 with water occasionally. 



Late Falls Favors August Plant- 

 ing in the West 



Duncan Finlayson, Massachusetts 



IN THE Western States, I favor August 

 planting because of the good weather 

 away into the New Year, which gives the 

 trees a chance to make good roots before the 

 cold weather sets in, and the trees will better 



