52 



THE OKANGE, 



Balling. — This is undoubtedly the best 

 method, though the most laborious and 

 expensive. Trees that are carefully balled 

 and well planted seldom lose their leaves, 

 and, with the next succeeding period of 

 growth, are almost sure to make a start. 

 The operation of balling is thus per- 

 formed : 



A trench fourteen to sixteen inches deep 

 is dug along one side of the nursery row 

 cutting the earth about six inches from 

 the stalks. Then the digger takes a sharp- 

 edged spade, and by carefully working 

 under from the bottom of the trench ex- 

 poses the tap root. This he severs by a 

 well directed blow or two. Next, vertical 

 cuts are made in the soil on each side of 

 the tree transversely with the trench, and 

 a block of earth about a foot each way is 

 formed. This block is carefully shaved 

 off and rounded. Lastly, the spade is in- 

 serted in the side opposite the trench, and 

 the ball is loosened from the contiguous 

 ground. A little more shaving makes it 

 symmetrical all round. The ball thus 

 formed should be grasped with both 

 hands, and the tree lifted from its place 

 and set upon the half of a grain bag 

 already provided and spread upon the 

 ground close by. It generally happens 

 that the end of the tap root projects an 

 inch or two below the ball of earth. Ac- 

 cordingly a little slit is made in the middle 

 of the grain bag, through which the end 

 of root protrudes. The edges of the bag 

 are then drawn up tightly about the ball, 

 and fastened by winding with bailing rope 

 or stitched with stout twine. If the ball 

 is tied, the rope is first wound about it 

 vertically with a hitch around the stock at 

 the top and another about the tap root at 

 the bottom to hold the wrap in place. Two 

 vertical wraps are made, crossing each 

 other at right angles, top and bottom, and 

 a third turn is made about the ball hori- 

 zontally, describing an equator about the 

 two former meridians. The whole being 

 made snug and tight so that the enclosed 

 earth cannot shake loose from the roots, 

 the balling is complete. Balled trees 

 should be handled very carefully, and not 

 transported long distances in a lumber 

 wagon if a spring wagon is to be had for 

 the purpose. 



Broken Balls. — If by any mischance 

 the dirt is crumbled within the sack the 

 wrappings should be removed entirely 

 upon planting the tree. 



Condition of the Soil for Balling.— 

 From the description given of the process 

 of balling, it must be evident to the rea- 

 der that the soil should have a good degree 

 of coherence to allow so much handling. 

 A clayish sandy soil is best for balling. 

 But the most favorable soil even, must be 

 taken at just the proper time to make the 

 operation successful. About the third or 

 fourth day after a rain or an irrigation is a 

 safe time to begin sacking. 



When Sacking is not Desirable. — It 

 is not best to sack trees if they are taken 

 from a stiff clay soil, or any soil, in fact, 

 that is likely to bake hard. If the balls of 

 earth become thus set they enclose the 

 roots like a mold of plaster of Paris, and 

 the tree cannot thrive. 



Puddling. — In this method of trans- 

 planting, the trench is first excavated 

 and the tap roots cut as previously de- 

 scribed. No effort is made, however, to 

 preserve the earth intact about the roots. 

 The tree being loosened, it is left standing 

 in the trench with a shovelfull of dirt upon 

 the roots to keep them from drying. A 

 puddle is formed at some convenient point 

 by mixing loam and clay to the consist- 

 ancy of thick cream. A suflacient number 

 of trees having been dug, they are gath- 

 ered up, a few at a time, and the roots of 

 each immersed in the puddle. They are 

 thus encased with a film of soil which 

 protects them from the drying action of 

 the air. As an additional precaution, the 

 roots are parked in damp straw for transit. 

 For shipment long distances, a number of 

 trees may be bunched together and their 

 roots packed with damp straw in a barrel. 

 The stocks and tops are generally wrapped 

 with burlap, rushes or other material as a 

 means of protection. The only objection 

 I have ever heard urged against puddling 

 trees is that the film of earth is sometimes 

 set so firmly upon the small roots that it 

 chokes them, after the manner of the 

 baked or hardened ball already alluded to. 



Packing in Damp Straw.— With this 

 method the tree is prepared in the same 

 manner as just described, except that the 

 puddling operation is omitted. I have 



