ORCHARD MANAGEMENT. 65 



on the picket ropes. They are picketed at equal 

 distances from each other; they commence to eat 

 at the stake, and as the food is exhausted the rope 

 unwinds giving additional food as required; but 

 there will come a time when lengthening the ropes 

 will not supply more food as they will come to the 

 territory once fed over by the adjoining horses. 

 This means starvation or a very meager supply of 

 food and a very poor existence. There are two 

 ways to remedy or prevent this: (i) by picketing 

 them so far apart that before they reach each others 

 territory a plentiful supply will have again grown 

 where once fed over, or (2) leave them as they are 

 and carry feed to them. The latter is the best and 

 most economical way. 



A tree just as surely feeds the ground over as a 

 horse does and as closely; not one little particle is 

 allowed to escape; but nature is very recuperative 

 and will do her best by dissolving for the use of the 

 tree as fast as she can, such elements in the soil as 

 were not palatable the first time, and in course of 

 time the ground will supply it a second crop of 

 food, but at best it is only "the second table." 



As soon as the trees come into heavy bearing the 

 ground should have a top dressing of stable manure, 

 ashes, or any of the phosphates if the ashes or 

 stable manure cannot be had in sufficient quanti- 

 ties. Ashes and all alkalies are valuable to soils as 

 solvents. They reduce the indigestible particles to 

 a condition in which they may be utilized by the 

 tree. Thus these alkalies applied to the soil for 



