348 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



slightly to the southwest, and about three inches from the wire and 

 opposite the button. 



I spread out the roots, scratch in a little fine, moist soil, and with 

 hands fill all hollows under large roots. I then put in three to five 

 inches of good, fine soil and tramp firm, then fill and tramp until 

 the hole is nearly full and so on with each tree in row. Now I pull 

 up the wire stake at this end and do not stake it until I have staked 

 the one at the head of orchard first, so as to always pull from the 

 same end of wire. This stake I am careful to stake down at right 

 angles, to the way rows run, so I usually stick a little stick each 

 time in the hole where this stake stood. I stick the stake which 

 holds the wire in line with these sticks each time, so all the rows 

 looking crosswise of the orchard, when all trees are planted, will 

 be just as straight as the row of little sticks. 



Now I take a long-handled shovel and go back along my first 

 row and scrape in fine dirt around the trees, leaving the soil loose 

 and level, and if my rows are long I move the wire over against 

 the centre poles as I pass them. When all the holes are filled, I 

 pull the wire, throwing it over against poles as I jerk it tight, and 

 stake down, being careful that the wire is straight. Now I leave my 

 shovel here and take up my spading fork, which was left at this 

 end, and dig a row of holes back to the other end, being careful 

 to start with the button which will break joints with the trees in 

 first row. Now when I am back to the starting point I am ready 

 for another bundle of trees, and if I am planting several varieties 

 I am careful to choose trees for every other row of an upright habit. 

 This makes the orchard more uniform as to space when the trees 

 are large. 



Then I proceed with the second row as with the first. After 

 the fourth row is in I do not have to count buttons, I just walk 

 along the wire to where the first two diagonal rows cross each other, 

 and these will indicate the button to dig by. Any person the least bit 

 careful need make no mistake. 



If I have room to drive out and turn outside of the end of the 

 orchard, I plant an evergreen in the jog where every other row is 

 set back, which makes a very pretty heading. When I get through 

 planting, my trees stand in rows in every direction and are more 

 easily cultivated, as I cannot touch two trees at once with the large 

 three or four-horse machinery, so that I have only one tree to watch 

 at a time, and so I can work closer to them, and they also have 

 more room. 



