soil around its base slightly loosened at least once a week,
especially on hot summer days. Where trees are planted on streets,
near the curb, they should also be fastened to stakes and protected
with a wire guard six feet high. See Fig. 95. Wire netting of
½-inch mesh and 17 gauge is the most desirable material.

[Illustration: FIG. 96.--A Home Nursery. (Austrian pines in front.)]

Suggestions for a home or school nursery: Schools, farms, and private
estates may conveniently start a tree nursery on the premises and
raise their own trees. Two-year seedling trees or four-year
transplants are best suited for this purpose. These may be obtained
from several reliable nurseries in various parts of the country that
make a specialty of raising small trees for such purposes. The cost
of such trees should be from three to fifteen dollars per thousand.

The little trees, which range from one to two feet in height, will
be shipped in bundles. Immediately upon arrival, the bundles should
be untied and the trees immersed in a pail containing water mixed
with soil. The bundles should then be placed in the ground
temporarily, until they can be set out in their proper places. In
this process, the individual bundles should be slanted with their
tops toward the south, and the spot chosen should be cool and shady.
At no time should the roots of these plants be exposed, even for a
moment, to sun and wind, and they should always be kept moist. The
little trees may remain in this trench for two weeks without injury.
They should then be planted out in rows, each row one foot apart for
conifers and two feet for broadleaf trees. The individual trees
should be set ten inches apart in the row. Careful weeding and
watering is the necessary attention later on.