163 
PARK AND CEMETERT 
by ' root pruning two or more years before re- 
moval is undertaken, or by selecting specimens grown 
in a shallow soil over a rock stratum. 
Trees growing iii a very fertile, well drained or cul- 
tivated loam are apt to have a denser mat of fibrous 
roots close to the butt, whereas others growing in 
meadow or pasture land ''tend to extend their roots 
deeper and have less small fibre and more larger sized 
and tougher roots. The bearing of these characteris- 
tics on the amount of roots which can be taken un- 
bruised and plump with the tree is apparent. There 
may be a limit to the size of tree which can be 
successfully moved. Thrift in a tree is essential ; a 
stunted specimen should always be avoided. Some 
A NORWAY MAPLE LOADED FOR MOVING ON A HICKS TREE 
MOVER NO. 5. 
The roots and limbs are tied in, to prevent breaking’. 
trees having an open, loose crown, are less desirable 
than others of the same species having a dense, sturdy 
and more upright head. Preparatory measures, meth- 
od of digging, method and distance of transportation 
should be regarded in making the selection. 
It is sometimes an advantage to procure a tree grow- 
ing in a soil approximately of the same mechanical 
character as that to which the tree is to be moved. If 
both soils are not virtually alike or do not very closely 
resemble each other, it may be preferable that their 
texture be decidedly different. Were a tree to be re- 
moved to a flat meadow it may be advisable to make 
the selection from another flat meadow and strive to 
secure a tree growing at about the same elevation 
above the water table as that at its new location. 
Sandy soil is not always imbedded among the roots 
so as to permit of a “ball” of it being taken with the 
tree. It is often difficult to properly replace the soil 
fallen out from among the roots at the butt of the 
trunk, especially if the soil is stiff and clayey. 
A removal from a stiff clay to sandy, porous loam 
is more likely to result satisfactorily than if the change 
had been vice versa. Serious consequences are apt to 
result if a tree is planted in a soil recently filled in to 
a depth of several feet or when a cut of an equal depth 
has been made. 
The fertility of the soil has a close inter-relation to 
the available moisture. Unless artificially watered a 
tree growing in a very fertile soil and having a com- 
pact system of roots could not obtain as much moist- 
ure from a dry soil during droughts as another having 
grown in more unfertile soil, and in consequence hav- 
ing a wider spread of roots and therefore penetrating 
a larger body of soil. However, moisture, aeration 
and mechanical texture of the soil influence the avail- 
ability of nutriment in it. 
If the soil is not naturally well drained it may be 
provided by installing an agricultural tile system to 
serve the purposes of drainage and sub-irrigation. 
These tiles are preferably laid with collars on a six- 
inch bed of screened cinders so that the water will rise 
up through the cinders. Draining lowers the water 
table and may lessen, at least temporarily, the degree 
of saturation in the upper stratum of soil. It is ad- 
visable to consider this in the frequency of watering 
and in the selection of a tree for a particular location. 
Draining light textured soil abundant in vegetable 
matter, as for instance peat, tends to cause a shrinkage 
and perceptible settling and a firm compacting of the 
soil particles. Soil so influenced does not readily be- 
come saturated with applied liquid, and by reason of 
this peculiarity may cause serious injury to a tree 
planted in it. 
Lowering the water table incident to the draining 
ultimately affects a tree beneficially by inducing the 
roots to penetrate to a greater depth and thus making 
it less dependent upon periodic rains. The temporary 
effect may, however, be baneful. Draining often ex- 
tends the depth or thoroughness of aeration, assists 
to disintegrate hard and compact soil, and makes 
available plant food which would not otherwise be in 
a form enabling the plant to assimilate it. 
By the suitable arrangement of stop cocks in it a 
system of tile drains may be used on flat land for sub- 
irrigation, though this tends to increase the liability of 
certain roots, as those of red maples, to obstruct the 
effective operation of the drains. 
The season of moving is somewhat dependent upon 
method employed. Evergreens should be moved either 
in early spring, when the plants are about to start into 
growth ; in August, after they have made their growth 
and in time for new roots to become well established 
in the warm soil, thereby enabling a proper amount 
of moisture to be absorbed through the roots during 
the winter; or in late winter after the severe weather 
is past, but before the soil thaws. 
Evergreens are seriously affected if, during mov- 
ing, the fibrous roots become dry or are subj‘ected to 
frosts while exposed. 
