MULCHING AND MANURING*,' 45 



Avoid deep planting. More than half the losses in orchard 

 planting in America arises from this cause, and the equally 

 common one of crowding the earth too tightly about the roots. 

 No tree should be planted deeper than it formerly grew, as its 

 roots are stifled from the want of air, or starved by the poverty 

 of the soil at the depth where they are placed. It is much the 

 better and more natural process in fact to plant the tree so that 

 it shall, when the whole is complete, appear just as deep as be- 

 fore, but standing on a little mound two or three inches higher 

 than the level of the ground about. This, when the mound set- 

 tles, will leave it nearly on the level with the previous surface. 



Mulching is an excellent practice with transplanted trees, and 

 more especially for those which are removed late in the spring. 

 Mulching is nothing more than covering the ground about the 

 stems with coarse straw, or litter from the barn-yard, which by 

 preventing evaporation keeps the soil from becoming dry, and 

 maintains it in that moist and equable condition of temperature 

 most favourable to the growth of young roots. Very many trees, 

 in a dry season, fail at midsummer, after having made a fine 

 start, from the parched and variable condition of the earth about 

 the roots. Watering, frequently fails to save such trees, but 

 mulching when they are planted will entirely obviate the neces- 

 sity of watering in dry seasons, and promote growth under any 

 circumstances. Indeed watering upon the surface, as com- 

 monly performed, is a most injurious practice, as the roots 

 stimulated at one period of the day by water, are only rendered 

 more susceptible to the action of the hot sun at another, and the 

 surface of the ground becomes so hard, by repeated watering, 

 that the beneficial access of the air is almost cut off. If trees 

 are well watered in the holes, while transplanting is going on, 

 they will rarely need it again, and we may say never, if they 

 are well mulched directly after planting. 



The lest manure to be used in preparing the soil for trans- 

 planting trees is a compost formed of two thirds muck or black 

 peat earth, reduced by fermenting it several months in a heap 

 with one third fresh barn-yard manure. Almost every farm 

 will supply this, and it is more permanent in its effects, and 

 less drying in its nature, than the common manure of the stable. 

 An admirable manure, recently applied with great success, is 

 charcoal the small broken bits and refuse of the charcoal 

 pits mixed intimately with the soil. Air-slaked lime is an 

 excellent manure for fruit trees in soils that are not naturally 

 calcareous. Two or three handsful may be mixed with the soil 

 when preparing each space for planting, and a top dressing may 

 be applied with advantage occasionally afterwards, to increase 

 their productiveness. But wherever large orchards or fruit 

 gardens are to be planted, the muck compost heap should be 

 made ready beforehand, as it is the cheapest, most valuable, 

 and durable of all manures for fruit trees. 



