28 THE NURSERY. 



Planting root grafts. The ground should be 

 plowed as deeply as practicable, if a foot it will be 

 better. A subsoiler attached to the plow has been 

 found to be of great value, as the young plants in 

 such ground have not dried out like those on ground 

 prepared in the ordinary way. There is no imple- 

 ment better to follow the plow with than the 

 planker or clod crusher. In plowing, the furrows 

 are all thrown the same way, frequently called 

 "carrying the lands." This leaves no dead fur- 

 rows. The planking is kept close to the plowing, 

 and the planters close to the planker, so that there 

 may be moist earth at the top which prevents the 

 earth from falling back as the dibble is withdrawn, 

 and filling the hole. Many plant without dibbles, 

 by throwing out a heavy furrow and planting in 

 this and drawing the earth back with the hands, 

 to hold the plant in position, which is thereafter 

 filled by rake and hoes. This is as good as the 

 dibble, but no better, and it is not thought that 

 anything is gained in time. For the amateur a 

 dibble may be made of wood. Cut the handle from 

 an old spade, keeping a piece of the shank one foot 

 long besides the hand part; sharpen it to a point, 

 but not by a true taper; it should be narrowed 

 faster near the point. Such dibbles will answer 

 the purpose nearly as well as those made of steel. 



The ground being plowed and smoothed, throw 

 a line across from north to south and stake it 

 tightly and pull it straight. The grafts are carried 

 by the planters in shallow vessels such as wash 



