34 BEGINNERS GUIDE TO FRUIT GROWING 



the row perfectly straightened. If each successive 

 row is carefully aligned in this manner the final 

 result, except on very hilly ground, will be satisfactory. 



PLANTING OUT THE TREES 



The job next in order will be to dig the holes. 

 These will ordinarily be 2 feet in diameter and 16 

 inches deep, these dimensions varying somewhat 

 with the size of the trees and the character of the 

 soil. The harder the soil the larger should the 

 holes be. In order that the tree when it is planted 

 may occupy exactly the point established for it in 

 the setting of the peg it is necessary to have 



a b c 



FIG. 15 TREE-PLANTING BOARD 



recourse to the planting board or tree-jack. This 

 simple device, which has been described and illus- 

 trated a thousand times, is shown once more in 

 Figure 15. It consists of a light but strong board 

 about 4 feet long and 4 inches wide, cut with a 

 notch in either end and with a third notch in the 

 exact middle. 



To use this tree-jack it is laid on the ground with 

 the middle notch snugly set upon the peg which 

 marks the position of the prospective tree. Then 

 two light stakes are driven in the two respective 

 end notches, after which the jack may be taken to 

 the next peg and the transaction repeated. After 

 setting the two pegs for the ends of the planting 

 board the hole may be dug, the center peg being 

 taken up and thrown aside. Then when the holes 



