It Pays to Plant Things Small 
Nursery stock, unlike any other merchandise, increases in value as it gets older. More precisely, a plant- 
ing worth $1000 can be set out two years earlier for $500, or four years earlier for $250. Plants just 
about double in value every two years. Moreover, the labor of planting more than doubles every two 
years: Three men might take two hours to plant a 20-foot tree; the same tree when 6 feet high can be 
set out by one man in twenty minutes! 
In most trees and shrubs there are three sizes: 1. Babies that have to be nursed. 2. Transplanted young 
plants that need only a year or two of ordinary growth. 3. Landscape sizes, already shaped and filled 
out. For most gardeners, the second size is the most fun and the most economical. 
Never buy the wrong thing because a young plant of it looks nice—or is cheap—because plants grow 
up and when mature they may not look nice nor be suitable and must be thrown away. Whatever you 
. spent is wasted. If you cannot afford large, of the right kind, then buy small. 
Start a FROME NURSERY 
Wise old gardeners, you will notice, always have a few rows 
of trees and shrubs growing for future plantings. They do not 
depend upon buying everything as they need it. Now that we 
are coming out of the age of jazz and impatience we should 
remember the quiet wisdom of older days. Do not wait until 
you need trees—large ones and in a hurry—but look over your 
grounds and plant now what you may need 3, 5 or even 10 
years hence. 
A MINIMUM-SIZE NURSERY 
To indicate how really small a home nursery can be, and still 
be useful, we offer sketch and notes. The Young Aristocrats on 
next page would mostly class as Size C and serve, after matur- 
ing, to fill in foundation planting soon to need re-planting but 
which can be made to do until the new plants are of size. 
Save money and labor 
Save disappointments 
I. 
2. 
3. Save delays 
4, Increase your enjoyment 
5. 
Rare and interesting 
varieties 
6. Culture not difficult. 
Lath Screen sketched below is very im- 
portant for young plants the first sum- 
LAYOUT PLAN 
HOME NURSERY 
The plan shows a corner of a lot using 
a 9 by 12 foot area for a nursery—no 
more space than used by a small speci- 
men tree. The shrubbery masks the 
area. Exposure is planned as if north 
were at the top—but any exposure 
would do, locating the Lath-screen in 
shady spot. 
mer. Simply built of ordinary lath and 
a few nails. Screen is rested on the 
posts. 
Heel-in Area. Even a tiny spot kept 
free for this purpose, enables one to 
temporarily plant a shipment of plants 
the day received. They can safely re- 
main for weeks if need be before per- 
manent planting. Water well. 
Soil Preparation 
The lath-house soil should be sandy 
loam with an original dressing of 3 
inches of manure worked on to a spade 
depth. The nursery itself can be heavier 
soil, but requires manure as well. Avoid 
lime. 
A—Seedlings or Rooted Cuttings 
These are babies and must be protected 
from strong sun the first two years. 
Planted 2 x 2”, the lath-house would 
hold 432. After two years, they must 
be transplanted into the next grade and 
space. A Yew or a Spruce would be 
about 6 to 8 inches. Not usable in this 
size for permanent planting. 
B—One Transplanted Grade 
These are grown as above, or bough? 
already once transplanted. Our 2 yr. 
and 3 yr. Azaleas would be in this 
grade, e.g. Space about 4” x 4” (108 
in the lath-house pictured here). Care- 
fully shaded the first year, but the sec- 
ond year shade omitted except in 
drought. In 2 years, they would run 
about 8 to 15 inches and (of course) 
now are twice transplants (“XX”). Usable 
at once as hedge plants, Azaleas for 
bedding, or any shrub rock garden use. 
where the earth pockets are not large 
enough to set huge roots. 
C—Twice Transplanted Grade 
The above can now be moved into the 
open nursery and spaced 8” x 8” (the 
nursery pictured would hold 162) and 
left for two years. They are “shaped,” 
that is, all straggly branches are lopped 
off with a sharp knife to encourage uni- 
form shape. They are cultivated and 
fertilized and watered, no shade being 
needed. At the end of the 2 years, they 
will be about 12 to 18 inches or more 
and are now XXX (three times trans- 
planted), bushy and shapely. Such 
plants in this Guide would no longer 
be marked *, as they are not now 
“small unformed young plants.” They 
are now ready for use in permanent 
plantings, except for: 
D—Specimens 
A few choice spots in every garden 
would be spoiled by planting any but 
larger, well formed plants. Such speci- 
mens ere grown 2 or more years spaced 
18 x 18” (the nursery pictured would 
held 32). At some height between 2 
and 4 feet they would be too crowded 
to remain and would by now be as 
large as most amateurs would wish. 
