EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETINS. 237 



system is removed, some roots are broken and the ends of others are 

 ragged or torn. These broken roots and ragged ends should be cut off 

 smoothly so that the cut surface will lie upon the bottom of the hole. 

 Then if there is an abundance of fine roots, especially under the crown, 

 they should be thinned out. If the trees are heeled-in in the fall, this 

 root pruning may be done then and by spring the cut surface will have 

 calloused over, though usually the roots are pruned just before planting. 



If a stake has been placed to indicate the proper location of each tree, 

 this location will be lost when the stake is pulled and the hole dug, 

 unless a planting-board is used. This is a thin board 3 to 4 inches wide 

 and 4 to 6 feet long, with a notch at its center and at each end. Before 

 digging the hole, the planting-board should be placed on the ground 

 with the notch in the center against the stake. (See Plate 1.) Then 

 a stake should be driven in the ground fitting in the notch at each end. 

 The board should then be lifted, laid aside and the hole dug, the board 

 is then returned to its place and the tree stood in the notch, the exact 

 original location of the stake. This is an accurate method of placing 

 the tree, but many consider it too slow to be practical in large fields. 

 In large fields the sighting method is usuall}'^ to be preferred. 



For convenience and rapidity, two men can work together in planting 

 the trees. One man should stand the tree in its proper place in the hole 

 and carefully spread out the roots in their natural direction. Then the 

 second man should throw in some loose, moist surface soil, a little at a 

 time, so that it thoroughly covers the roots on all sides, underneath, 

 as well as above, and especially under the crown of the tree. After this 

 has been done, and the ground is tramped firmly, the hole may be filled 

 and be tramped more rapidly. Finally, the soil should be left mellow 

 at the top, so that it will not bake and permit much moisture to escape. 

 When the hole is filled, the tree should stand about two inches lower 

 in the ground than it did in the nursery, except with dwarf pears, which 

 should be set from three to six inches below the bud of graft. 



In the case of fall planting, the ground should be mounded up about 

 the trunk of the tree, and so provide ample surface drainage. Trees 

 planted on locations exposed to strong prevailing Avinds should be 

 leaned toward the wind slightly, or else be supported by a strong stake. 

 This avoids lopsided rows so often seen on exposed slopes. 



PRUNING THE YOUNG TREES. 



Since some of the roots are removed when the tree is dug from the 

 nursery, and possibly some are pruned off before planting, the tops must 

 be cut back to produce a balanced condition. This should be done im- 

 mediately after planting. The practice of doing this pruning before the 

 tree is set is not often satisfactory. In doing the pruning, the orchardist 

 should aim to top the trees low, from 18 to 24 inches above the ground. 

 When the trees are full grown, pruning, spraying, thinning and harvest- 

 ing will be more convenient than if headed high. 



Apples, plums, pears and sour cherries should be pruned so as to leave 



