TENDENCIES IN HORTICULTURE. 175 



the slopes of the hill, stirring a strip about ten or twelve feet wide, 

 which would be thoroughly prepared, and in which the row of trees is 

 to be planted, leaving the virgin sod untouched. After the trees are 

 well established, the strips about the rows of trees may be seeded to 

 clover and the space between the rows broken up and cropped, or kept 

 thoroughly cultivated. There are several orchards in the state which 

 stand as living monuments to the method of culture, which should not 

 be used. Soil should not be allowed to wash away between the tree rows, 

 and leave the trees mounted on a hill to dry out and produce only a 

 feeble growth, and later a disappointment instead of a crop of apples. 



Heeling in Trees. — Trees packed at the nursery are usually in ideal 

 condition for shipping, and they will endure many days of exposure, 

 which is usually necessary in shipment in the freight cars, and while 

 stored at the freight depot, but the trees should be considered, and as soon 

 as the shipment is received at the nearest railway station, the owner 

 should get these trees, remove them from the package (which is usually 

 a box or a bale) and heel them in. Many nurseries put out instructions 

 for handling the trees after receiving the shipment, but the usual way 

 of heeling in is to dig a trench one foot deep, and wide enough to 

 admit the roots of the first layer of trees, then spade off the north side 

 of this trench, piling the dirt back on the trees and admitting another 

 layer as soon as the first layer is covered four or five inches beneath the 

 soil. Place another layer of trees and cover as before. As a rule it is 

 advisable to point the tops toward the south, as this positSon seems 

 to lessen evaporation, and protect the trees from the direct rays of the 

 sun. The soil in which the trees are heeled should be moist and in 

 good condition for planting. This usually is not difficult to find in the 

 spring of the year. 



Distance Between Trees.— The distance apart which apple trees should 

 be planted is the next important consideration. It is true the varieties 

 to be planted will govern somewhat the distance apart they should stand 

 in the orchard, but experience has shown that thirty-three feet each 

 way is about the right distance for planting most commercial varieties, 

 especially winter sorts like Winesap, Ben Davis, Northwest Greening and 

 York Imperial. Some varieties are upright growers and will therefore 

 occupy not more than half the space. To this class belong mostly 

 summer and fall varieties, such as Whitney, Yellow Transparent, Chenaga 

 Strawberry and "Wealthy. Much will depend upon the slope of the 

 land and the purpose of the orchard, but it is probably better to plant 

 the rows north and south, making these rows thirty-three feet apart, 

 and placing the trees sixteen and one-half feet apart in the rows. 



The writer has had experience in spraying and harvesting the crops 

 in an orchard planted in this manner, in which Missouri Pippin were 

 used for fillers. It was the owner's intention to cut out the Missouri 

 Pippin after five or six crops. The advantage of this method of planting 

 has impressed itself upon the wi-iter to such a degree that it is here 



