78 



THE SMALL NURSERY 



handle them carefully in order to have them in good 

 condition for the following season's sales. It is rarely 

 necessary to prune the roots of shrubs, but broken roots 

 on fruit and ornamental trees should be cut off smoothly. 



To insure a vigorous and healthy growth, nursery stock 

 should be cultivated as freely as a field of Carna'*ons. 

 Not only does it then produce a more vigorous gro i, 

 but the tillage is an insurance against drought. In the 

 little nursery with which the writer is connected there 

 were two adjacent blocks of shrubs, one of which had been 

 under constant cultivation, while the other had been 

 neglected. A long drought brought the importance of 

 cultivation forcibly to mind, for the Lilacs in the uncul- 

 tivated block withered and almost died, while the other 

 stock remained healthy. Don't attempt to do all the work 

 by hand, and if you haven't a horse, buy one of the in- 

 expensive power cultivators now on the market. 



Proper planting, cultivation, and pruning — these three 

 elements are essential to the growth of good stock; but 

 good stock in the nursery does not satisfy the customer. 

 As no chain is stronger than its weakest link, so often 

 the weakest link in the chain between the grower and 

 consumer is the digger. Thousands of good customers 

 and good shrubs have been ruined by careless digging. 

 When you want a shrub or evergreen dug properly send 

 two men to do it and equip them with sturdy spades 

 and emphatic instructions to get all the roots. Mechanical 

 tree diggers are all right, perhaps, for the big wholesale 

 nurseries, but individual digging is the method by which 

 to insure satisfaction. 



Evergreens, of course, should be balled and bur- 

 lapped. Always make certain that the ground is moist 

 enough to cling to the roots, then dig deep on all sides of 

 the tree and lift it out with spades. Dont attempt to pull 



