about a foot down, slip the crowbars in and loosen it a little froiri 
its moorings. You ought to feel then the resisting pull of the 
tap-root and get an idea from this feeling which way the tap is 
growing. If you cannot locate it dig a little more and then go 
in with your hands and feel for it. When you finally find it 
follow its course by digging and grubbing carefully until you 
get every inch of it you possibly can. Have the burlaps or other 
cloth spread on the ground near the tree and if the weather is 
dry, wet it well so that the dry earth around the roots will get 
a little moistened and not shake off. Place the ball on the cloth 
with the tree standing upright. Pull the burlaps up tight around 
the ball and either tie or sew it close around the trunk of the 
tree so that the roots are kept solid. Before you tie up the cloth 
around it don't fail to take hold of the tap-root and wind it 
gently around the ball so it does not get injured in transporta- 
tion. Now lift the tree carefully onto the stone boat or into the 
cart or motor truck and take it to its destination. 
Before you start to unload the tree be sure that the hole you 
dug for it is larger than the ball of the tree you are about to 
transplant. Then wet the hole thoroughly, untie the burlaps 
from around the trunk and if the ball is firm and moist slip the 
burlaps from under it and place the ball in its hole. Then have 
one man hold it straight and steady while the others fill in the 
earth around it. If the ball has been dug from sandy soil add 
sand, or if from loamy soil, loam, in case your soil is not just the 
right thing. 
Before you start to fill in the earth be sure that the tap-root 
is inclined the right way and if it happens to be a long one, dig a 
little trench out from the hole in which it may run, or if it is 
short and fits in the hole, lay it carefully according to the way 
it grows and don't crowd it in just any old way. Sometimes, 
indeed quite often in digging a big ball, the tap-root will be 
contained inside the ball and one does not see it at all. If this 
is the case, so much the better. In filling in be sure to tamp the 
earth very thoroughly so it is solid around the ball. Water the 
tree very gently around the outside edge, and soak the ground 
outside of where the hole has been dug. This water seeps down 
and keeps things moist without disturbing the earth too much 
around the newly planted tree. The main thing is not to let the 
tree know it has been moved if you can help it. 
Care after transplanting is the last but not the least of the 
whole affair. x\ll the other work counts for nothing and you will 
surely lose your tree if you neglect it. By care I mean regular, 
constant watering for the first two or three months after trans- 
planting, and watering during dry weather during the next 
season. By watering I do not mean taking a pail of water and 
dashing it recklessly around the tree and thinking that is enough. 
At least two or three gallons should be poured very slowly and 
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