STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 237 



such land it is useless to plant trees. All such land must be 

 thoroughly ditched, ploughed and subsoiled, and by so doing re- 

 move the unnatural moisture. When that is done it will be good 

 for fruit trees, often the best. Fruit trees can never grow with 

 their roots hermetically sealed in earth or water, the ground must 

 be loose and airy. Ditching all land for fruit trees would be a great 

 advantage and root killing would be much less frequent. If a 

 thing is worth doing it will pay to do it well. A ^ood fruit tree 

 properly planted and cared for will often be of more value than 50 

 trees set out and managed in the usual way. The hole to secure 

 the roots of fruit trees should be dug at least six feet in diameter and 

 three feet deep, eight feet in diameter is still better. The earth should 

 be returned just as it came out. A good plan is to dig the holes 

 two feet deep and with a long bladed spade loosen up the subsoil a 

 foot deep and fill the holes up with the top soil. 



The distance apart to plant depends somewhat on the varieties. 

 The Tetofsky may be planted ten feet apart and will not interfere 

 with each other for years after they come into bearing, if they 

 ever do. The Dutchess fourteen, and the Wealthy sixteen feet. 

 But as a general rule for planting out orchards on the prairie, or 

 much exposed ground, a rod apart each way will give the best 

 results. In timber or protected localities, twenty-five or thirty 

 feet each way. 



This important fact should never be lost sight of on the prairie 

 or much exposed ground Plant your trees sufficiently thick to 

 protect each other against winds and heavy storms. If this is done 

 there will be little or no need of wind-breaks on any location. But 

 if wind-breaks are considered necessary, we suggest the European 

 Larch as the best tree that can be be grown for that purpose; it is 

 a rapid grower, perfectly hardy on all dry ground, ornamental, and 

 free from all worms and insects, is valuable for posts, timber and 

 fuel. The roots never sap the ground, is the first to put forth its 

 leaves in the spring and the last to shed them in the fall, which 

 find a permanent lodging place at the roots of the trees, and 

 keep the soil in the best possible condition. The wood is strong 

 and withy, and no wind or snow can break them down. 



There are various opinions in regard to deep and shallow plant- 

 ing. From my own experience, and that of others, I am fully 

 satisfied to get a good, healthy growth, the trees well established in 

 the ground, shallow planting is altogether the best; but little or no 

 deeper than they stood in the nursery, or the place from which they 

 were dug. It makes no difference whether the trees are big or 



