CARE OF EVERGREENS 
You cannot afford to lose evergreens. Read 
the directions on this page and follow them 
with care. 
First, set the trees up along the foundation, 
or in the lawn, and move them around until 
you get them properly placed and spaced. Dig 
the holes larger and deeper than absolutely 
necessary. Fill in some loose soil under the 
roots and then place tree in hole before re¬ 
moving the burlap. See that it is slightly 
deeper (one or two inches) than it stood in 
the nursery row. 
Now you may remove the burlap or fill in 
soil, tamping it until the hole is half full, and 
then with a sharp knife cut off the burlap. 
The roots are then undisturbed. Fill in the 
remainder of the soil but do not fill higher 
than the ground level as this will cause the 
surface water to flow from instead of to the 
plants. If the ground is dry, water copiously 
during or after planting, but never tamp the 
wet soil. 
Mulching with straw, manure or grass is 
very good treatment to hold moisture. When 
watering, either stick the hose into the ground 
and let it “eat its way” to the roots or drop 
it by the plant and let run slowly just what 
the soil can take up. Remember the roots are 
down a foot or more, and it takes lots of water 
to get that far down. Sprinkling is all right, 
as “washing their faces” frequently is bene¬ 
ficial, but to “wet their feet” is another prob¬ 
lem. 
Pruning at planting time is not necessary 
as all our plants are balled and burlapped; 
that is, dug with a ball of soil without disturb¬ 
ing the roots. Planting in this way is like 
taking a plant out of pots—they cost more 
but are better for it. 
Shading—that is, throwing a burlap sack or 
protection over the tops of evergreens when 
planted late or when they show signs of dis¬ 
tress—is a good practice. It keeps off the hot 
sun and drying winds and conserves their 
vitality until the roots get to functioning 
properly. 
CARE AFTER PLANTING. Many folks let 
their evergreens “go to pieces” after they are 
planted and especially is this true of base 
planting. Here are a few helpful hints. 
We shear the trees in the nursery row and 
that is why our plants are more shapely and 
compact than those secured from other 
sources. When you get them they will, if you 
let them, grow open, tall and gawky and be¬ 
come overgrown. Now this can be prevented 
if you take heed in time. Any evergreen you 
possess can be trained as you wish. To make 
them compact start early and give them a 
“haircut;” that is, run the clippers over them, 
cutting back the growth. If they are tall 
enough, cut out the leader to a side branch. 
Never cut beyond last season’s growth. This 
growth always has “foliage” on and the older 
growth seldom does. Evergreens won’t “break” 
from defoliated wood. Prune only while they 
are growing vigorously. This is in May, Jun 
and early July. Later they will look stubby 
and hacked. 
WATERING. After evergreens are estab¬ 
lished and have about reached the size you 
want them, cease watering and fertilizing un¬ 
less the color is poor. In time of drouth and 
when they are first planted, water as sug¬ 
gested in the other column, but evergreens 
don’t like “wet feet.” 
ENEMIES. Red Spider. This is a ver> 
small insect, hardly discernable with th< 
naked eye unless in palm of the hand or on 
a white surface. The plants turn yellow oi 
ashy when affected. Washing the plant with 
water at strongest pressure several times is 
very good. Some of the oil sprays are used. 
Sulphur, lime and arsenate of lead in equal 
proportions applied as dust is also effective. 
Bag worm is another enemy. It is a little 
insect that encloses itself in a sack partly 
made of foliage. The surest way is to pick 
them off and burn. They are hard to get at 
one time but in the cool of the morning or 
evening is the best time to try. 
PETERS & SONS, SPOKANE, WASHINGTON 
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