The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1888-05-04

ropes up into the tree to the upper end of
the cart tongue.
A yoke of oxen was next hiched To the
draught rope and the word given To pull
Gee, Star! Get up, Golden ~ shouted
Horace PenlCy; while the rest of us looked
anxiousy on. There were first of all some
dull sounds of swapping roots and crunching
earth and stones. Then the trec-top came
over, and the solid circle of frozen earth and
roots rose in the air. For the reader will not
fail to see what an enormous leverage we
had obtained over the low axle of the wheels
rs fulcrum.
When once We had drawn the tongue and
tree trunk down and torn the mass of roots
and earth free of the ground, it was no diff.
cult matter to raise it above the aXle-by
putting blocks of wood between them-so
that the lower edge of the mass would clear
the gouDd beneath the wheels.
The entire team of three yoke of cattle WAS
then hitChed On, by chains, ut the other side
of the whecls-thc side next the root-nnd i'll
this manner the big maple was drawn into
the village and to the old Colonies yard.
1t was late in the afternoon when we drove
in. The old man was not expecting us, and
he looked little queer when he saw us turn
in at the gate. II YUM" said he. But
that's all right, ye make hCr ECe."
We were employed all the following day,
digging hole in the front yard, and lower
ing the maple into it-eXaClly the reverse of
the process by which we bad uproOtcd it.
We took not Il little pains to set it well in
the ground and the better to withstand the
winds of winter, we drew several loads of
large stones which we piled on the fresh
earth around the butt of it
The oak was uprOoted and tranSplantcd in
I,1, I'D En- t,,,,,
days. In all it was four days job but we
accomplished it without accident
And now for the sequel, the most import
ant part,-Did the trees live, and did we
get our hundred dollars?
Well the trees both lCavcd out in the
spring, and seemed to do pretty well all
through the summer; but they each shed
their leaves carly in the autumn.
We made bold to demand the hundred dol.
lars in October for VIC claimed that we had
transplantCd the trees and that they had liv-
ed.
But the old Colonel demurred. "Wait till
next year" he said 1--WE can tell better then"
We did not think this was using us quite
fairly, and we complained somewhat, but
there was nothing to do but to wait,
The next spring the two trees leaved out
in part, but very feebly and although during
June we carried great many pals OF water,
to moisten the earth about them, the leaves
fell offdurng July; and by October it was
apparent that the trees were dead.
Ofcourse, we made no further demand for
the mOnye. The trees were dead and stood
there in the yard, as unsightly objects. Yet
we took it little hard when Che Colonel
notified us to come and them away. We did
so, however, cutting them off close to the
ground; and sold the wood for five dollars.
When we had cleared the yard,
the old Colonel presented us with
the sum of ten dollars; and although
we were then inclined to regard him
rs rather severe, think now that he
dealt justly and even generously withus. For
i'll tree planting tie test Of the job is always
whether or not one makes the tree live.