Planting Time and Care of Trees 
Tl I E time to plant is either late fall or earl_v spring. 
Usually the amateur gets better results with 
spring planting. Fall planted evergreens should 
be transplanted about the middle of September. Broad- 
leaved trees should be transplanted only when the buds 
are dormant. Trees transplanted from the woods 
should be seedlings. Forest grown trees are more suc- 
cessfully transplanted by cutting off the roots several 
feet from the trunk a year or more before the tree is 
moved. This enables the tree, to develop an auxiliary 
root system ; it is also well to prune back the top at 
the time the roots are pruned. 
Nursery grown trees are best for shade tree planting 
on account of their better root development. A tree \ l /i 
to 2 inches in diameter one foot above ground is large 
enough for street planting, and smaller trees are cheaper 
and may be used to advantage for lawn or roadside plant- 
ing. Because of the better proportion between roots and 
top, small trees usually outgrow larger trees planted at 
the same time. The trees should have a compact root 
system, a straight trunk and a well-balanced top. 
Tree pedlars should be held in suspicion. — Trees should 
be purchased from nurserymen of good reputation. 
Trim off all torn or broken roots and branches with a 
sharp primer before planting. Street trees should have 
the lower branches trimmed to a height of 7 to 9 feet from 
the ground. When a tree is transplanted, a large part 
of the root system is cut off, and it must start new feed- 
ing roots before it can establish itself. Unless the top is 
severely pruned, proportionately to the root system, ex- 
cessive transpiration from the leaves is very apt to kill it.. 
The trees should be free from scars and bruises due to 
carelessness in handling. 
Several weeks before planting, the hole for planting 
should be dug. A few days before planting, "the hole 
should be partly filled with the best soil available, and 
well packed. A cubic yard of rich loam, well pulverized, 
should be placed close at hand for use when the tree is 
set. If the top soil is good, it may not be necessary to 
bring in other soil, but in every case it will pay to use the 
very best soil and plenty of it. Fresh manure should not 
be used, as it is liable to burn the routs. 
The tree should be planted slightly deeper than it stood 
in the nursery, and the roots spread out naturally, with- 
out twisting or crowding them. Fine soil is sifted be- 
tween the roots and worked under and between them, 
filling- every space. The tree should be held upright dur- 
ing planting. Working the tree up and down and side- 
wise aids in packing the dirt firmly about the roots. The 
soil is packed in layers by trampling, care being taken 
not to break or tear the fine feeding roots. The top 3 
or 4 inches of soil is thrown on loosely, to act as a mulch. 
The tree may be thoroughly watered before the top soil 
is applied. 
Cultivation of the soil for three feet around the tree is 
beneficial during the first years of growth. Loosen the 
top soil with a spade or hoe a sufficient number of times 
during the season to keep down weeds and grass. A 
mulch of leaves or manure in the fall retains moisture and 
acts as a fertilizer when spaded under. During the hot, 
dry periods of the summer months, watering should be 
done once or twice each week, not oftener. The feeding 
roots which take up the moisture are located at a distance 
from the trunk equal to the length of the branches, and 
the water should be applied liberally, but not too fre- 
quently, to these feeding roots. 
Low branching will cause more rapid growth in trunk 
diameter. Lawn trees require little attention, since low 
branching and unsymmetrical form give them character. 
If possible, trees should be left with single leaders, since 
crotches are likely to split in later years. If two or more 
main stems develop, leave the central stem and severely 
trim or entirely remove the others. When it is necessary 
to restrict the spread of trees within certain bounds on 
narrow roadways, the ends of the branches should be 
shortened so as to develop a compact symmetrical crown. 
Any time after midsummer is suitable for pruning. Shap- 
ing can best be done while the foliage is on the tree. 
Heavy pruning is better done in fall or winter. 
Old, neglected trees should first have all dead and im- 
perfect limbs removed. Thin out dense tops by leaving 
main limbs and the branches immediately radiating from 
them and limit cutting to the third and fourth divisions 
in branching. As far as possible preserve the character 
and natural shape of the tree, making the finished tree 
look as if no limbs had been removed. Start pruning at 
the top of the tree and work downward. All cuts should 
be made smooth, close to the base of a limb, and parallel 
to the axis of the stem. At all times avoid unnecessary 
wounds by cutting or tearing the bark in making the nec- 
essary cuts and in climbing the trees. . The surface of 
scars should be smoothed and painted with a mixture of 
two parts coal tar to one of creosote. It is safer to fol- 
low this with a heavy coat of coal tar ( the kind used for 
roofing is best ) . Large scars should be recoated every 
few years. 
Tree surgery consists in cutting out the diseased parts 
of trees and filling the cavities with cement so that they 
are water-proof. All decaying, discolored, water-soaked 
wood should be removed, with gouge, chisel and mallet, 
until only sound, uninfected wood is exposed. The bot- 
tom of the cavity should be shaped so that if water were 
thrown in the cavity it would promptly run out. The 
top and bottom of the cavity should be V-shaped rather 
than square or rounded, as this aids proper healing. The 
interior of the cavit yshould be sterilized by thorough 
painting with coal-tar creosote, followed bv a heavy coat- 
ing of coal tar. Fill the cavity with mortar made of one 
part cement to three (or less) parts sharp sand, and 
bring the filling to a smooth, water-tight finish, exactly 
even with the cambium (growing layer of the tree). Be- 
fore filling large cavities, flat-headed wire nails 2 1 ? to 3 
inches long are driven about half their length into the 
interior, to hold the cement. The cement is reinforced 
with iron rods and cross bolts. The filling is then built 
up in blocks of 8 to 12 inches, each block being separated 
by sheets of heavy tar paper. Large solid fillings of 
cement are apt to be cracked when the tree sways in the 
wind. When it is not advisable to go to the expense of 
filling, much good is done by treating the cavity as rec- 
ommended above, following with an extra coating of tar. 
Split crotches should have all decayed wood removed 
from the split, and creosote and tar applied. Bring the 
limbs back to their proper position, using rope and tackle 
if necessary, and hold them in place by means of bolts 
through each limb, connected by chains. Countersink 
the head of the bolt. Thoroughly coat with tar the cuts 
made for the bolt, and the edges of the crack. Cavit) 
filling is advisable only when the tree is a highly valued 
specimen. ( )ld, unsightly cripples and trees of poor 
species are much better taken down and replaced with 
new trees of desirable kinds. The need of tree surgery 
at a future time will be very largely removed by promptly 
attending to the fresh injuries of today. 
402 
