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AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS 



November, 1905 



roots are next unwrapped and covered at 

 their natural depth. While the tree is 

 horizontal it is usually pruned, the outside 

 being trimmed one to three feet to the 

 crotch or bud, and the remaining twigs 

 thinned out about one-third. Hardwood 

 trees and trees with few roots need no 

 severe pruning. 



Until it is firmly embedded, the tree is se- 

 curely held by guy wires. Anchor posts are 

 set slanting four and one-half feet in the 

 ground with a crosspiece just below the sur- 

 face. Two to six strands of galvanized steel 

 wire are used, running from the posts 

 through pieces of hose around the tree and 

 back to the post. The wire is twisted tight 

 about two sticks turning in the same direc- 

 tion and moving toward each other. To 

 prevent the sun from drying out the bark 

 on the south side of the tree, the trunk is 

 wrapped with straw. By following the plan 

 described enough of the small roots of the 

 tree are preserved to furnish ample nourishment. Only 

 five or six men are required to remove and set the largest 

 tree by Mr. Hicks' method, and the work can be accom- 

 plished in a comparatively short time. 



An Iowa inventor has invented a machine which, although 

 primarily intended for lifting rocks and boulders, has also 

 been found equally useful for raising and transplanting large 

 trees. The frame of this machine is V-shaped, the rear 

 wheels of which support the outer ends of the frame, while 

 the apex rests on the front truck. Thus it is possible to 

 back the machine up to a tree so that the two arms of the 

 frame will straddle the trunk. When the machine has been 

 backed sufficiently to bring the hoisting drum into contact 

 with the trunk, the front truck is swung around at right angles 

 to the rear wheels so as to provide a firm anchorage. The 

 horses are now detached from the machine and are hitched 

 to the hoisting gear. A connecting rod is fastened across 

 the extremity of the V-shaped frame and serves the purpose 

 of supporting the trunk when the tree is drawn out of the 

 ground. A padded roller on this connection serves to pre- 

 vent injury to the trunk. A chain is now placed around the 

 roots of the tree, which roots have been previously cut loose 

 from the surrounding earth. The chain is attached to the 



Lowering the Tree into Hole after Pole and Seat are Removed 



Roots with Thirty-Five Foot Spread Being Transplanted after Being Tied to Branches 



frame, and the tree is slowly drawn up until the roots clear 

 the ground. At the same time the trunk gradually sinks 

 back until it is supported by the padded roller. The power 

 raising the tree is supplied by the team. A large hole has 

 been left in the space which the roots of the tree occupy, a 

 hole probably larger than can be safely straddled by the 

 rear wheels. It is interesting, therefore, to note the novel 

 method by which the machine is moved away from this 

 cavity. Instead of being pulled directly forward, the front 

 wheels of the machine are first settled around the hole as a 

 center until the machine occupies a position approximately 

 at right angles to its original position, when, the hole having 

 been cleared, the tree can be transported to any locality. 

 The frame of this tree lifter has a direct lifting capacity of 

 over 50,000 pounds. 



Mr. John A. Wilkins, of Indianapolis, employs a method 

 radically different from those to which reference has already 

 been made. In utilizing it the trees are transported from 

 bed to bed in midsummer, in preference to the spring or 

 fall, the seasons usually chosen. Mr. Wilkins argues that 

 because the tree is in its most flourishing condition during the 

 summer, it is then best adapted for transplanting, there 

 being less danger of checking its growth or injuring it in 

 other ways. Mr. Wilkins' plan is quite 

 similar to that employed by florists in trans- 

 ferring potted plants, especial care being 

 taken to avoid disturbing the earth im- 

 mediately around the roots of the tree, as 

 well as to avoid injury to the smaller roots 

 and tendrils. The tree is never handled 

 in any other way than from its base. To 

 explain the method in a nutshell, the earth 

 and dirt are encased in a steel basket of 

 any desired size, which corresponds with 

 the flower pot of the florist. The first 

 operation, in transplanting a tree by this 

 method, is to wet the earth about the tree 

 thoroughly so as to soften the ground. 

 Next comes the placing in position of the 

 steel basket, which is made of steel shovels. 

 A medium sized machine inclosing earth 

 and roots six feet in diameter is composed 

 of fourteen shovels made of 5-16 inch pole 

 steel, each of the shovels being hinged to 

 a steel platform surrounding the tree. 

 After the shovels have all been driven into 

 place they are firmly secured to the plat- 



