50 BELOW THE ROOTS. 
pruned severely, cutting off two-thirds of the pres- 
ent growth, and then the ground should be mulched 
heavily, so as to keep the soil around the roots 
moist. 
In most instances that have come under my ob- 
servation, nurserymen are in fault, in lowering their 
prices in order to draw more custom, and then being 
often compelled to engage ignorant and cheap labor 
to perform the work. 
The strictest care should be exercised in remov- 
ing trees, and price enough be charged, so that pur- 
chasers may get all the roots as well as the tops. 
The men should commence digging one and a half 
to two feet from the tree, opening a trench parallel 
to the row of trees, always keeping the edge of the 
spade towards the body of the tree. When the bot- 
tom of the trench is below the roots, a digging fork 
should be used to remove a portion of the ball of 
earth from around the roots. The spades may then 
be pushed under this ball, and by a gentle and con- 
tinuous pulling the tree will readily be lifted with 
all its roots. If the tree is to be transplanted near 
by, the earth may be left on, but if it is going some 
distance from the nursery, the earth must be shaken 
off in such a way that the roots may not be in 
jured. ‘Trees should be placed under cover as soon 
as they are dug out, and the roots protected from 
