Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1909-05-04
Success In Tree Planting.

Success In Tree Planting.
WON ONLY BY ONE WHO HAS SOME
KNOWLEDGE OF PLANT LIFE AND
USES IT.
From the many complaints made OF
the death oftransplanted trees and vines,
and the wonder expressed that so many
have lived when transplanted by this or
that person, it would appear that trans
planting is one of the fine arts lost TO
many or never acquired. Sometimes
the nurseryman who sold the stock is
blamed for its failure to live; sometimes
the weather is assigned as the cause.
Having knowledge of the treatment OF
some of this stock that did not survive
transplanting may indicate to others the
reason why they failed in the operation.
The first case is that of an intelligent
man who earnestly desires to succeed in
growing fruit trees and vines. He
bought some stock of nursery at dis
tance. When it died he complained of
il and asked advice. At first | thought
the stock might have died out in trans
portation, but inquiring into the matter
and learning that the buyer had kept it
in the original package, in the barn, a
week after receiving it, that thought was
dispelled. 1t is possible that some stock
has dried out in transportation, but in
this case the package was we'll wrapped
in moss, and was so moist that the buy
er thought il would take no harm in the
barn. He was busy, OF the places had
not been selected for the stock, or other
things were allowed to postpone the
trausplanting, with the result that the
stock died.
The second case is also of an intelli-
gent man who deferred caring for the
stock he had bought for two days, and
then opened the package and exposed
it to the sun and wind, pulling it apart
and turning it over to select what he
wanted to plant, leaving the rest expos
ed meantime to drying wind. He was
rather bitter at the nurseryman for sell
ing such "rotten" stock.
The third case was another intelligent
man who deferred buying until the stock
was leaved out, and then objected to the
stripping of the leaves or shortening in
of the stems, because he "wanted as
much of the growth as possible" and
when he planted it dug holes, thrust it
in, then filled in the dirt and left it.
In each case it is easy to discern the
probable cause of failure. In the first
case the buyer kept his stock too long in
the original package after receiving it.
Ii should have been taken out at once,
and If not ready to plant it should have
been "heeled in" which means that
trench should have been dug deep, wide
and long enough to hold all the stock.
which should have been placed in the
trench, the roots well covered with
earth, the tops out of it, inclined at an
angle of As degrees or so. The dirt over
the roots should be ''firmed down." pat
ted with the spade or tramped with the
foot, to exclude the air, and watered.
Stock may thus be kept "heeled in
week, two weeks or three weeks with
out injury if after heeling in, the roots
properly covered, mulch of straw or
grass is thrown over the roots.
In the second case the package was
left exposed to sun and wind for forty
eight hours, and when opened the roots
were exposed to drying atmosphere.
If the plants were in good condition
when received, they would resent such
treatment and give up trying to live. II
is a simple matter to dig an inclined
hole in the ground large enough to ad-
NIT the root end of package OF trees
and vines, and bury it under a good
covering of earth when received, even If
the stock can be planted the next morn
ing or within few hours. The cool,
moist earth in the roots will preserve
their life and add to the chances Of their
thriving when planted.
In the third case the buyer deferred
buying until the trees and vines were
too far advanced in growth. L do not
say they could not have been successfully
planted if properly treated, but ne oo-
jected to stripping the leaves OH and to
shortening in the stem and branches,
both of which operations should be per-
formed with trees and vines which are
transplanted after the foliage is set.
The leaves draw the sap from the stem
and branches when plant is removed
from the earth, and leave them dry, in
asmuch as the roots cannot supply the
loss. Their function is to extract moist
ure and uourishment from the earth and
supply il to the leaves, but when they
are removed from the earth they cannot
do it, and the leaves go on with their
function of drawing sap from stem and
branch, the consequence OF which is, IN
case of plant dug after the foliage is
set that the leaves suck the juice out OF
stem and branch. They exhaust the
life of the plant.
A tree or vine may be transplanted
after the leaves are Out-if necessary 10
do so-by stripping them of and head
ing in stem and branches, so that the
sap in them may be retained in the tree
until the roots are again imbedded IN
earth, so that they can perform their
function as the leaves begin again TO
grow.
One may easily see how the leaves act
on a branch by cutting one when the
leaves are just starting in the spring
They will 90 on growing as long as there
is any sap in the branch. Many people
who have cut q branch OF oak or other
hard wood in spring and have set it as a
stake or post have exclaimed: "Oh, see!
NV stake is going to live?' as the leaves
come out and grow. But when they
have exhausted the sap they dry up. In
only few varieties, such as the Willow
do the roots strike quickly enough TO
supply the sap taken up By the leaves:
Another person was disappointed be-
cause his vine did not live after planting
| it 'sjust as carefully as l knew how. "
He planted it we'll enough, in general
way, but the soil was dry, and instead OF
wetting it through with pailful OF wa
ter he moistened the surface after he
had planted the vine with a watering
can. One of the things to do is when
the hole is half filled in with earth over
the roots and has been trodden down
firmly to pour a pail of water into it and
Let it soak all through the earth and
among the roots; then after it has drain,
ed away ill in the rest of the earth and
press il down to exclude the air.
II trees and plants were "puddied 10
the holes dug for them instead OF having
the surface of the ground moisteneo
with a watering can there would De few,
or failures in transplanting. And u
plant roots were protected from sun ano
air when dug from the ground ana were
put under ground as quickly as possible
II ...vr