TREE STORAGE
If it is necessary to store trees through the winter months, one of
several procedures may be followed. If the trees are quite small, their
tops may be dipped in melted paraffin or beeswax, not hot enough to
injure the buds. If the trees are too large for this to be practical,
wax may be painted on with a brush. Roots should be protected by heeling
them in dirt.
An unheated cellar with a dirt floor is a very satisfactory place for
storing trees. Select a corner of the cellar far from any source of heat
or temperature change. Place the trees so that the roots are pointing
toward the basement wall. Cover the roots to a depth of six inches with
either sand or sandy loam, packing the soil firmly to eliminate air
pockets. Lastly, cover the trees completely with burlap sacks. Once
every two weeks, the earth around the roots should be watered. Trees
maintained in this way are conveniently ready to plant when the ground
thaws out in the spring.
Another and better method of storing trees is to plant them outside in a
trench, preferably on the north side of a building, having first waxed
them as described above. One side of the trench should slope so that the
trees will lie in an oblique position with their branches touching the
ground. The roots of these trees should be covered with dirt, then more
trees set alongside them, until all have been planted and the earth made
firm about their roots. Trees will usually suffer no damage during such
winter storage if their roots have been properly packed in sand or sandy
loam. Six or more cans, each containing a little poisoned grain, should
be set among the branches. If these cans are laid on their sides,
rodents will have easier access to the poison. The branches of the trees
should then be well covered with straw or hay, with heavy boards laid on
top to keep it from blowing away. If trees are received for planting
after the ground has frozen, all that is necessary is to build a log
fire on the side where they are to be heeled in. This will thaw out the
soil enough so that a trench can be made to accommodate them.