Planting 
Instructions 
Many of our cus¬ 
tomers do not real¬ 
ize the importance 
of giving trees a, 
little care upon ar¬ 
rival. Keep the in¬ 
structions given be¬ 
low in mind. 
Failure to get sat¬ 
isfactory results in 
planting trees re¬ 
ceived from the 
Nursery can be 
largely avoided if a 
few simple rules for 
l pruning and planting 
N&j' are observed. I n 
most cases, failure 
may be traced to a 
lack of knowledge of 
the care of trees 
upon arrival, proper 
pruning and plant¬ 
ing. On arrival of 
the trees from the Nursery, if unable to plant im¬ 
mediately, and if the trees are dug without a 
ball of earth intact (balled and burlapped) they 
should be taken from the bale or box at once, 
counted and the individual tree examined. Should 
there be a shortage, an undergrade or an unau¬ 
thorized substitution, it should be reported directly 
to the general offices immediately. The trees and 
plants should immediately be heeled in a well 
drained, moist piece of sandy ground, in order 
that the soil may thoroughly pulverize between 
the roots. Pack the earth thoroughly around the 
roots with your feet. Water freely and fre¬ 
quently, until the trees are planted. 
If the trees are balled and burlapped, take from 
the crates or other containers as soon as received, 
set them in a shady place, and cover the balls 
with earth or wet straw or litter. 
Spade and Bucket of Water 
Heady to Plant a Good Tree 
Do not use unrotted stable manure or compost 
fertilizer when trees are planted. A few pounds 
of bone meal or a few shovelfuls of well-rotted 
stable manure can be used at the bottom of the 
hole with good results at the time trees are 
planted. Best results with unrotted manure are 
attained by using it as a mulch, after the trees 
are planted. Commercial fertilizer should be used 
when trees start to bud out. It is applied by 
digging a trench around the tree or plant, a few 
inches past the end of the newly planted roots. 
Then fill trench to cover the fertilizer. 
PRUNING ROOTS AND TOPS. All broken and 
mutilated portions of roots should be cut off, so 
as to leave smooth, sound ends. Some people pre¬ 
fer to leave the tops unpruned, until after the 
trees are planted, in order that the particular 
buds they want to grow might not get broken off 
while planting. Severe pruning is advised, and in 
most instances, one-third of the tops should be re¬ 
moved. In some cases, it is absolutely necessary 
to prune and this is therefore done before the trees 
leave the nursery. Some of the stock which we 
consider absolutely necessary to prune before ship¬ 
ping, are Roses, Citrus Stock, and some Broad- 
leaf Evergreen Trees, i, e., when these are handled 
bare-rooted. You should, under no circumstances, 
wait several days after trees are planted to prune, 
as the top left is exhausting moisture and strength 
from the body and roots of the trees. Special, il¬ 
lustrated, and detail instructions for planting and 
pruning given in Griffing’s Service Bulletin No. 51. 
PLANTING THE TREES. We recommend using 
a planting board about one by four inches, six 
feet long. Cut a notch one inch square in the 
center of the board, then bore a two-inch auger 
hole in each end of the board, using a round 
stake about one foot long, in these holes. Then 
place the notch in the board where the stake is 
set for the tree. Lift one end of the planting 
board off the round stake, take away the tree 
Don’t be Afraid of 
Soiling Hands or 
Clothes 
stake, dig your hole large enough 
for the tree roots to spread out 
without cramping them. Then 
place the board back over the 
open hole over the round stake, 
and take your tree in one hand, 
holding it in the notch on the 
board and holding the top root 
of the tree close under the board 
(to prevent planting too deep), 
spread out the roots in their na¬ 
tural position with the other hand. 
Fine, moist, pulverized 
earth should be sifted 
in and worked around 
the roots after which 
pour in from one 
to three buckets 
of water, accord¬ 
ing to the size 
of the tree. Use 
water whether 
the ground is moist or not; 
it pulverizes the lumps and 
settles the soil around the 
roots more thoroughly than 
through any other method. 
If trees are planted in 
coarse, sticky, clay soil, it 
is advisable to use some 
sand or top loamy soil when 
bare-rooted trees are plant¬ 
ed. After the water has 
soaked away, place from two to four inches of 
soil above the level of the land and tramp it 
down thoroughly; the harder it is packed the bet¬ 
ter for the trees. After the earth is thoroughly 
packed around the trees, mulch with manure, grass 
or litter, to a depth of from three to five inches. 
PLANTING BALLED AND 
BURLAPPED TREES, AND 
TREES THAT HAVE BEEN 
GROWN IN POTS. Dig the 
holes large and deep enough to 
admit the ball of earth held In 
place by the burlap or other 
wrapping, so that general level 
of the surface is even with the 
top of the ball, without disturb¬ 
ing or removing the burlap, as 
it will decay in moist earth by 
the time the roots are ready to 
penetrate it. Do not crumble or 
disturb the earth in the ball. 
After this is done, fill in rich, 
moist, well - pulverized earth 
around the ball, water freely 
and pack firmly; rake loose 
earth around the tree and mulch 
if material is available. 
PROTECTING THE TREES. 
If trees are planted near the 
walks or drives or where cattle 
are likely to rub them, place 
posts about the trees until they 
get thoroughly established. 
SHAPING THE TREES. When 
the new growth starts, there 
should be from three to five 
limbs allowed to grow, on most 
fruit trees, keeping the other, 
sprouts off as they start growth. 
Balled and Bur- After these new branches have 
lnnneri Treo grown out from one to one and 
lappeu iree one-half feet, the ends should 
be pinched off and forced to 
branch again, 
CULTIVATION. Unless kept thoroughly mulched 
as recommended, the soil should be kept loosened 
up around newly planted trees from two to three 
inches deep, about three or four times during the 
first Summer, either by means of a cultivator or 
by hand. Surface drainage should always be thor¬ 
ough and a basin or water puddle should never 
be allowed to form about the trees. 
I NSEC IN AND DISEASES. No plant exists that 
does not, in some manner, furnish food for some¬ 
thing else. Hence, all trees, plants, etc., are sub¬ 
ject to attacks from insects and fungi. 
Don’t neglect your trees by planting crops, 
flowers, etc., too near them. 
QUESTIONS. As to future care and manage¬ 
ment of trees, receipts for spraying, etc., not cov¬ 
ered on this page will be answered for our cus¬ 
tomers to the best of our ability. ^ 
