CHAPTER XXXI. 

 SETTING THE GROVE. 



The planting of the trees is the actual starting of 

 the grove and any reasonable amount of time and care 

 spent in the operation is well spent. All the details should 

 be carefully looked after and the work should be done 

 either under the supervision of a competent foreman or 

 under the direction of the owner himself. The varieties 

 must be selected, the trees purchased, the ground laid out 

 and the trees set. When the ground is placed about the 

 last tree, mulched and shaded on the south side, the work 

 may be considered finished. 



SELECTING VARIETIES. 



In the colder or more exposed sections it is best to 

 plant the hardier varieties and those which mature early. 

 The fruit will not stand the same amount of frost as the 

 tree, and if it is sufficiently mature to pick before the 

 cold comes on it is a decided advantage; the cost of pro- 

 tection will be materially lessened. But it should be borne 

 in mind that for early shipments from any section, early 

 maturing varieties should be planted. Green fruit should 

 not be shipped, just because the market happens to be 

 good. It is ruinous to the reputation of any section that 

 carries on the practice. 



Groves in sections farther south or free from the 

 effects of frost should pay attention to late varieties such 

 as cannot be safely matured in sections more exposed to 

 frosts. As a matter of fact, either very early or very late 

 fruit brings the most money in the markets and by grow- 



