October, 190 5 



THE GARDEN MAGAZINE 



109 



forms a plumb bob, and take a sight. Then 

 stand around and look at the tree from a 

 direction at right angles to the first line of 

 sight, seeing that the trunk stands erect on 

 both lines. Packing the earth firmly around 

 the centre will hold it in position in most 

 instances. 



Next cover the side roots with the earth. 

 The main idea is to get the earth in contact 

 with all the roots, so that the moisture can 

 be taken in immediately. After the roots are 



II. Fall Planting on the Prairies 



By F. D. Maynard (formerly of Nebraska) 



THE fall season offers unusual advantages 

 for planting all kinds of trees and 

 shrubs, except evergreens, throughout the 

 entire Western states. I have had unusual 

 opportunities for observing the effect of fall 

 planting in Illinois, Wisconsin, Nebraska, 

 Minnesota, North and South Dakota and 

 Utah. Although I have not been through 



Throughout the entire Western territory, 

 broadly speaking, planting is possible any 

 time that the trees are out of leaf. The 

 controlling conditions of the tree, the soil 

 and the weather do not differ in their 

 essentials from those which govern plant- 

 ing in the East, save that wind is the great 

 enemy rather than intense winter cold. 

 Some parts of the West are comparable 

 to the territory of western New York 

 and the New England states. Especially 



IIS. Beeches planted in a circle for & children's playhouse. A clear proof that our forefathers had more imagination and sense than we 



thus covered with fine earth rough sods and 

 loam may be used. 



Watering fall-planted trees is rarely neces- 

 sary, as the ground will generally have suffi- 

 cient moisture. Mulching with a coarse 

 stable manure or forest leaves completes the 

 operation. 



Mice sometimes girdle young trees. For 

 protection against mice, cover with wire net- 

 ting, or make a mound of firm earth a foot 

 high around the trunk, or cover the bark with 

 some substance to repel the mice. However, 

 most of these things are usually omitted, as 

 the damage done is suffered by only a small 

 percentage of the quantity of trees planted. 



this region since 1902, 1 was actively engaged 

 there in extensive fruit and ornamental plant- 

 ing for more than twenty years. 



There was a time when we all thought that 

 it would be the height of folly to plant any- 

 thing in the fall, and in the pioneer days, on 

 the wind-swept, treeless plains, it was cer- 

 tainly almost courting failure. In those 

 parts of the country to-day, where there are 

 few trees and no windbreaks, fall planting is 

 still a risky proposition. Yet I do not say 

 that it cannot be done. On the contrary, I 

 would not hesitate to do my own planting in 

 the fall, if I were thoroughly acquainted with 

 the conditions. 



is this true in some parts of Illinois and 

 in Wisconsin. 



THE GREAT PROBLEM OF THE WEST 



The great problem that the planter has to 

 contend with is how to keep a proper supply 

 of moismre about the roots of the newly 

 planted tree. Naturally, the tree that is dug 

 up from the nursery, when it is put into its 

 permanent position in the ground, has a 

 smaller root system than it had where it was 

 originally growing. It is not so well equipped 

 to take up the moisture that is in the soil, 

 and there is the added difficulty of a possible 

 scarcity cf moisture. The tree is to some 



