The daily morning journal and courier., 1901-07-05
TRANsPLANTING LARGE TREES.
How the Work Has Been Done on the
 Capitol Grounds in Albany,

l iAoV tiic " OSh x1hh IoeelI DOIl6 OIl llle Capitol Grounds in Albany.
 Citizens OF Albany who value shade
 trees have, for some years past, seen
 with regret and even alarm the rapid
 disappearance of these trees from her
 streets-a few, indeed, from the effects
 Of old age and winds, but most of them
 by tle reckless use of the ax Some ol
 our finest elms standing on the corners
 or on the sunny side of the street, have thus been laid low, leaving house fronts
 fully exposed to the glare of summer
 suns. The time seems to have arrived
 when street trees should be considered
 the property of the city, and no longer
 be left to the mercy of the men who 1 happen to own the houses behind them: to be placed in the hands of skilled
 forester, who shall control their plant 1 ing, pruning and removal, the property , owner to be consulted, no doubt, but the final word to rest with the forester
 alone
 Meantime, some consolation Is to be found in the planting of new trees, which goes on to limited extent in the city streets and on a larger scale has recently been done on the capitol 1 grounds, which, west of the building, were bare of anything but turf and winding walks. Here twenty-four elms of large size twenty-five to thirty feet in height, few six to eight inches, the
 most eight to ten inches in diameter, have been set, and sixteen more on the eastern front to fill in gaps at various points. These trees were brought from the Van Rensselaer, grounds, North Albany, on Halls patent tree litter. The litter consists of two pairs of heavy wheels, between which is swung a plank boat, near the ground. Frcrl the hinder axle extends a wooden arm four inches thick and eight feet long After the tree is dug about and loos- ened the hind wreels are backed up, the arm fastened to the trunk, which gives purchase for ropes fastened high CT up, and the tree is pulled over The arm on which the trunk rests inclines upward, keeping the branches well off the ground. A team of horses is hitched to the load-of two tons, per haps-and they move off to the city. where men have meantime been dig ging holes to receive the trees.
 Arrived at the spot, pulley and tao lle held by an iron bar anchored some distance off, regulate the elevation of the top as the root end descends into the hole. When fairly upright the trunk is lossened from the wagon arm and the tree settles to its resting place Prepared compost already at hand Gin this case street sweepings which have lain in heaps two years), is thrown in, and two men tamp it thoroughly under and around the roots with wooden bars, while another, with a hose, keeps stream of water playing into the hole, which carries the compost into inter stices not reached by the tampers. Toward the close a man climbs the tree and rocks it gently. The whole opera tiCn takes nearly an hour, including a neat resodding. The tree is set four to six inches deeper than it originally stood, to allow for cultivation or sod ding without disturbing the feeding roots.
 Two trees day was a days work in this job for seven men and two tree wagons. The charge for furnishing and planting such trees runs from twenty to sixty dollars, according to size and cost of transportation, with guarantee for five years. Those in Capitol park average thirty dollars. A good-sized