146 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



the planting ground. If we have several gangs of planters a boy 

 should be provided to distribute trees to planters from wagon. 



iTow take two men for a gang, one with a planting board, the other 

 with a shovel. Begin at first row, drop the board over the two stakes 

 and place the tree, after being again dipped in the mud, in proper po- 

 sition, so that it will fit snugly into the notch in center of board, and 

 stand perfectly perpendicular. The planter then arranges the roots 

 in the natural position, while his partner shovels in good surface 

 soil, which he places among the roots and presses firmly with his 

 hand until the roots are well covered. He then removes the board, 

 and as the soil is shoveled in he tramps it down well and firmly, but 

 leaves a couple of inches of loose soil on the surface. As each row 

 is finished a stake should be placed at head of row with name of variety 

 written upon it, and a record should be made of orchard as soon as 

 planting is finished. 



The trees should be wrapped also to protect against sunburn, 

 which is bad on young trees the first season, when the sap is not cir- 

 culating freely and the tree is struggling to get root. Also wrap to 

 protect against rabbits. A good wrapper is made by the St. Louis 

 Basket Box Co., of St. Louis, Mo., for $3.50 per thousand. 



The pruning should be done immediately after planting. I cut the 

 tree off three feet from the ground. If branched I leave three or four, 

 but cut them back in proportion. I cut leader to force tree to head 

 low, and leave top bud to form a leader the second year. 



The above method of planting can be done at an expense of 2 to 

 2 1-2 cents per tree. If care is taken the trees will be in perfect line 

 in every direction, and will well repay any trifling addition to expense 

 in planting. I claim that trees will bear better when planted in nice, 

 straight rows, for the man who takes such pains will give them better 

 care afterward than the man who is careless in planting. 



Buy trees from reliable nurseries as near home as possible. I 

 have l>een a tree agent myself, and advise planters against them. 



When unpacked, the trees should have all broken and bruised 

 roots cut off, cutting from under side, and should be dipped in kero- 

 sene emulsion — not too strong — provided they are apple trees — then 

 puddled in good rich mud, and heeled in with tops leaning well to the 

 south, or in a place where the sun's rays will not strike them. 



Opening the furrows with a lister and following with a subsoiler 

 saves many trees the first season by forming an under-drainage when 

 the season is very wet, and by storing moisture when very dry. 



Out of 12,000 apple trees which I planted for the Darby Invest- 

 ment Company, on the Darby Fruit Farm at Amoret, Mo., last March, 



