H THE BOOK OF THE APPLE 



it is preferable to cover over the roots with soil, and 

 so make sure that they can take no harm. 



We will first consider the planting of the standard 

 apple tree on grass land. A suitable distance at which 

 to place the trees is twelve feet apart in the rows, and 

 the rows twenty-four feet wide. Eventually, every 

 other tree in the rows may be thinned out, thus 

 leaving the trees at the same distance apart through- 

 out. Of course they will not be too thick for many 

 years after planting, but, if all goes well, they will in 

 the future require more room ; and, as provision can 

 easily be made for this at the commencement, it 

 is by far the better plan to do so. The intending 

 planter must, therefore, place rows of pegs eight yards 

 wide, each peg being four yards from the other in the 

 rows. Having done this, remove the turf over a 

 piece of ground six feet square, choosing the peg as a 

 centre. Then procure a piece of string two and a half 

 feet long, attach one end to the peg in the centre of 

 the cleared space, and tie a small pointed stick to 

 the other end. Then, with the string stretched 

 quite tightly, make a circular mark in the ground 

 with the pointed stick this mark being at a uniform 

 distance of two and a half feet from the centre, and 

 forming the circumference of the hole in which the 

 standard apple tree will be planted. Commence to 

 remove the soil from within the circular mark, and 

 continue to do so until the hole is two feet deep. Then 

 with the spade dig over the bottom thoroughly, so that 

 the soil is stirred and turned over to the depth of one 

 foot or more. The hole will now be ready to receive 

 the plant, and the proper depth at which to place the 

 latter must be determined. This is one of the im- 

 portant points in planting, for the roots, if planted too 

 deeply, will be deprived of the necessary air and warmth 

 which they would receive if nearer the surface, and they 



