PLANTING AN ORCHARD. 709 



roots out nicely. If any of the larger roots are broken or 

 badly bruised, take a sharp knife and cut them smooth. Trim 

 the tops, and always keep them nicely balanced by cutting out 

 here and there as they need it. Get your trees in rows to 

 range nicely when planting. It adds much to the appearance 

 of an orchard, and also makes it easier to work amonsr." 



" What distance apart would you plant? " 



" Well, climate and soil have much to do in this matter. I 

 would never plant closer than eighteen feet each way, and 

 there is no necessity for farther than thirty-two feet. I plant 

 twenty-eight by thirty feet. Out on the open prairie I would 

 plant a little closer. You must cultivate your trees for four or 

 five years after planting. I raise corn the first year. After 

 that, potatoes, or other hoed crops, not forgetting to feed soil 

 with barnyard or other fertilizers if needed. I watch carefully 

 every year for any kind of borers that are apt to get about the 

 roots and trunk of the trees, and cut them out with a sharp 

 knife. Wash the bodies of the trees occasionally with strong 

 soapsuds. I do not allow any kind of rubbish to accumulate 

 against the body of the tree, to make harbors for mice, as they 

 will be sure to girdle and kill some of the trees in the Winter 

 months. I never allow the sportsman, with dog and gun, to 

 kill any kind of birds, except it be hawks and owls ; for the 

 birds are the best friends I have if I want fine fruit. They 

 destroy millions of insects and worms annually, that otherwise 

 would prey upon the trees and fruit. I invite the feathered 

 songsters every way to stay around my orchard. I plant some 

 evergreens around. I have found it an excellent plan in Win- 

 ter to scatter some wheat screenings, or seeds of some kind, 

 around in the orchard. By such means I make it attractive to 

 the birds the year round, and it well repays me. They may 

 occasionally pick a few apples, but they save fifty where they 

 pick one. 



" When my orchard was five years old, I sowed it down to 

 clover, and if not too heavy, cut it and let it lie and rot on 

 the ground. This is my method of treating trees. I seldom 

 lose any. Of the four hundred first planted, I have lost about 



