ORCHARDS. 139 



vated in the nursery rows two years, they are ready for trans- 

 planting into the orchard. They will then be from four to 

 six feet high, which is the best size to transplant; for small 

 size plants, with an even balance of fibrous roots, which they 

 should have, are transplanted with much less labor than large 

 ones. They take a deep and firm hold in the ground, are not 

 shaken and careened by high winds when clothed with foliage 

 in Summer time, as large-sized newly-transplanted trees are; 

 and lastly, the small-sized trees will often push up rapidly, 

 soon ov^ertake and shoot far ahead of the* large ones if the 

 large ones are not well attended to. Every side branch should 

 be removed at transplanting, and the main stem cut back to 

 three or three and a half feet from the roots, the topmost buds, 

 two or three, as it may be, will push out rapidly, and soon the 

 head will be formed. If only one bud (which is not often the 

 case) starts out, it should be pinched off to three buds on the 

 new growth. But we are getting along too fast, not having 

 given due importance to the preparation of the borders and 

 the transplanting. We prefer a thorough preparation of the 

 whole soil in the plat by the plow and sub-soiler, if the soil 

 is not naturally deep, to the digging of large holes, which is 

 too laborious, and when holes are dug, the trees are almost 

 certain to be transplanted too deep, which is a great error with 

 many who are not experienced. We take a turning plow, two 

 or three horses, and plow out the rows in the fallowed land, 

 running two or three times in the same furrow, at from thirty 

 to thirty-five feet distance; then cross in like manner; then 

 scrape back the melloAv soil a little from the cross, and spade 

 out about a bushel of the clay and fill in until nearly full with 

 mellow soil, shaping to suit the roots of the plant. Set in the 

 plant, straightening out the roots to their natural position, 

 working the fine dirt well in about the starting out of the roots, 

 being careful to have the plant when the earth settles no 

 deeper than it grew in the nursery. Trees thus pknted re- 

 quire no staking, which would be a disadvantage, aside from 

 the labor it would require. Keep the soil mellow and loose 

 about them as you would about corn, adding a httle surface 

 manure of almost any kind, working it in occasionally; and, 



