CHAPTER VI. 



TRANSPLANTING. 



ORCHARDS are usually set out, where the soil is good, with no 

 other preparation than good ploughing. But where the soil possesses 

 only moderate fertility, if the best growth and finest fruit is desired, 

 it must receive additional preparation. When marketing and profit 

 is the chief object, this preparation is of great importance, as the 

 finest fruit often brings double the price obtained for that of com- 

 mon quality. The following directions are therefore worthy of 

 attention. 



Preparing the Ground and Manuring. Ground intended for trees 

 must be secure from danger of being flooded in wet seasons, and 

 from all liability of becoming water-soaked beneath the surface. If 

 not naturally dry enough, it must be thoroughly underdrained. 



The next requisite is to deepen and enrich the soil by trenching, 

 unless naturally or previously exactly fitted for trees. The same 

 result may be attained by digging very large holes, say eight feet in 

 diameter, and a foot and a half deep, and filling them with rich earth. 

 But a better way is to plough the whole surface to nearly that depth, 

 and to enrich it well by manuring. A common plough will descend six 

 or seven inches ; by passing another plough in the furrow that is, by 

 trench-plowing the soil may be loosened to ten inches or a foot. 

 But by means of a good subsoil-plough in the common furrow, a 

 depth of fifteen to eighteen inches may be reached. Now, to work 

 the manure down to that depth, and make the whole one broad 

 deep bed of rich soil, it must be first spread on the surface evenly 

 after the whole has 'been well subsoiled, then harrowed to break it 

 fine and mix it with the top soil, and then thrown down by a thorough 

 trench-ploughing. For although the trench-ploughing can hardly be 

 worked a foot in depth of itself, yet after a good loosening with the 

 subsoil-plough, it may be at once extended down a foot and a half. 

 If this is done in the fall, and another good ploughing given in spring, 

 the whole will be in fine condition for the reception of trees. Does 



