248 Bulletin 69. 



heavy snows. There are those who favor placing a forkful of 

 manure in the bottom of the hole, but this is a practice of doubt- 

 ful value ; and, at all events, the manure should be well mixed 

 with the soil to prevent drying out. 



Making the rows straight. — It is difficult to make the rows 

 straight in large areas, especially on rolling ground. I have had 

 areas regularly surveyed with chain and compass and a stake set 

 for every tree, but the orchards were as crooked as others set 

 with much le.ss- care. The surveyor sets his stakes by sighting 

 across the field from certain fixed points ; but it is difficult for 

 the planter, when the stake is removed and the hole dug, to 

 stand the tree in the exact place of the stake. It is better to 

 regard the trees as stakes and to set them by sighting. The area 

 can be " run out " on two or three of the sides, a conspicuous 

 stake being set at the location of each tree on these outside rows. 

 If the field is large or rolling, it may be necessary to set one or 

 two lines of stakes across the center of the field also. For areas 

 of a few acres, I have found a garden-line stretched across the 

 field to be a great help and to save much time. This line is 

 moved at either end to the adjoining row, as soon as one row is 

 set alongside it. I have sometimes tied conspicuous strings on 

 the line at the given intervals between the trees, expecting to set 

 a tree at every knot, but with the stretching of the line, and 

 other sources of error, it is nearly impossible to get the trees 

 straight in this manner, and the cross rows must be kept in line 

 by sighting. 



Mr. L. T. Yeomans, of Walworth, Wayne Co., one of the most 

 successful fruit-growers in the State, gives me his method of 

 marking out an orchard : ' ' The plan which we have always 

 used is simple and very effective. I have seen rows of apples 30 

 rods in length so straight that one could not see a pitchfork han- 

 dle held upright in the row, and which rowed as straight diagon- 

 ally as in the .square. To plant an orchard of considerable size, 

 provide straight sticks about four feet long (common lath are very 

 suitable) ; whitewash about one-half of their length on both .sides. 

 Measure the distance on the outside of the boundary rows around 

 the field, setting a perpendicular stake at the distances you desire 

 the rows apart ; then set an intermediate row of stakes across the 



