CAUSES OF BAD WALL-TREES. 
115 
That trees are often injured by being planted very injudiciously ; 
that the soil in which they are planted is frequently very unsuitable 
for them ; and that they often lie a long time out of the ground, af¬ 
ter they are taken up, before they are planted again. 
Some persons, when employed to plant them, will take a 
spade in one hand, and the tree in the other, and go to the place 
where it is intended to plant it. The tree is then laid down, hut no 
care is taken to prevent the roots from drying during the time the 
hole is being prepared for it. A small hole is made, and a little hit 
of fresh soil put in, into which the tree is immediately thrust, and no 
further notice is taken about what it will require for its future growth. 
It may be a bed of good soil, and in that case the tree may thrive 
for a time, or the soil may be little else besides clay and gravel; then 
the tree will canker and die. 
Injury in planting may arise from the person who is employed to 
plant, not understanding properl} 7 how to perform the work, or if he 
does, he may not be inclined to take proper pains with it. 
Besides, however well the operator may understand his business, 
and whatever pains he may be inclined to bestow, the proprietor 
may not be disposed to allow him the proper materials of means. In 
either case the loss is certain. 
The border requires well trenching and manuring, and if the pro¬ 
prietor supposes this expense unnecessary, and will not allow it to be 
incurred, then the loss of the trees is almost certain. I am happy, 
however, to say, that it has never yet been my lot to serve masters of 
this description. 
When a new wall is built, and the soil is not good, where the bor¬ 
der is to be, the bad soil should be taken out to the depth of three 
feet, for eight or ten feet wide, and the bottom should always slope a 
little towards the front. A quantity of brickbats, stones, and other 
hard rubbish should be laid at the bottom and well beaten down ; a 
drain should also he made at the front, a little lower than the bottom 
of the slope, to take off all superfluous moisture, which, when not 
carried oflf, I believe to be one great cause of the trees cankering. 
The border should be composed of half good rich loam, a little 
more than one-fourth of well rotted dung, and another fourth-part of 
road scrapings and vegetable mould. The loam should be the top- 
spit, taken from a field or common where sheep or cattle have long- 
fed, and the whole mixture should be well incorporated before the 
trees are planted. 
When all is ready, plant the trees,-spread the roots carefully, and 
cover them with about four inches of soil, broken fine. Then mulch 
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