It is essential that the purchaser of nursery stock should request that such material be lifted and packed properly. Nursery stock in general must be dug carefully to preserve as much of the root growth as is practicable, and with roots cut as cleanly as possible. The stock should not be allowed to stand openly exposed to the injurious effects of wind and sun after lifting and before packing. For short shipments, of one or two days, stock can be packed equally well in excelsior, sphagnum-moss, or straw, but for longer shipments material should not be packed in excelsior, for it dries out too rapidly.

On receipt of nursery stock which has been shipped in boxes or crates the stock (being delivered by truck or by wagon) should be so loaded and so covered with canvas that there is a minimum of exposure to drying-out processes. Stock, when received on the grounds where it is to be planted, should be removed at once from boxes or crates, and if not planted immediately must be "heeled in" (Plate VI) or kept in some other way from drying out.