460 THE MONTHLY BULLETIN. 



did not do this tinally Jug them all out. It is best not to plant the 

 trees less than twenty-five feet apart. Some of the wide spreading 

 varieties should not be less than twenty-eight or thirty feet apart. 

 There are two metliods of planting. The one largely used is where the 

 trees are equally distant in the rows and between the rows. Its chief 

 disadvantage is a large open space between each series of four trees. 

 .\nother. and more equitable one so far as the trees themselves are 

 concerned, is the equilateral triangle method. ]n this the trees are 

 equally distant from each other in the several directions. The chief 

 ob.iection to this method is that cultivation is somewhat hampered. 



Before planting have the ground well i)lowed, harrowed and free 

 from large clods. Do deep plowing and break up any hardpan that 

 may be there as a result of i)revious shallow plowing. You can not do 

 this after planting. It is most essential that this be done to induce 

 roots to seek permanent moisture below. 



Be generous with the trees in the matter of digging holes. Dig a 

 hole large enough to give the spreading roots ample room to straighten 

 out. Dig deep enough so that you can put some fine surface earth in 

 the bottom of the hole to bring the tree up to about the height it stood 

 in the nursery. Fill the hole at least half full of well pulverized sur- 

 face earth before returning any soil taken from the hole. Clods in a 

 tree hole mean air spaces that will dry out the roots. 



Too much care can not be given to the nursery stock you ])lant. Get 

 the best stock obtainable. A tree that has been neglected or badly 

 handled in the nursery will prove ]ioor property. One can not afford 

 to accept such a tree as a gift. Get good healthy stock, but do not 

 imagine you must get a tree full grown. A tree of medium growth is 

 better for planting. Look well to the roots of the nursery stock ; they 

 are the dividend payers. If they are numerous and healthy you can 

 grow a top cheaper than you can buy it. As the very existence of 

 the tree, not to mention its productivity, depends chiefly on its root 

 system, that system should be as near perfect as it is possible to realize. 

 Almond nursery stock is usually on almond root, and in most in.stances 

 it is the best. It gives a hard,y long-lived tree with a great network 

 of roots, some of which penetrate the soil to considerable depths in 

 search of moisture. Almonds on peach root are shorter lived and 

 require more moisture. 



Frequently the roots are bruised or broken in digging. These dam- 

 aged roots should be cut off. The remaining ones should be spread out 

 in the hole in such a way that when they grow the tree will receive 

 sustenance and support from all directions. In cutting the roots cut in 

 a slanting direction from the under side of the root so that the freshly 

 cut part may rest on moist soil. It is well to dip the roots in thin mud 

 at time of planting to exclude air and assist in starting growth. If the 

 soil be dry at time of planting five or ten gallons of w^ater thrown into 

 the hole will greatly help the tree in beginning the struggle for exist- 

 ence under new and frequently trying conditions. 



When the tree is planted cut the top off to within about eighteen 

 inches of the ground. Cut in a sloping direction, on the north side of 

 the tree, to prevent exposure to the sun. Leave a bud near the top on 

 the south side of the tree that early develonment may protect the 

 wound. Shield the bodv of the tree from the blistering ravs of the sun 



