702 BOAED OF AGRICULTURE. 



condition. For small fruits it is generally l>est to apply the 

 Dianure or fertili^iers broadcast and harrow in, as it may also 

 be done for the large fruits, if the land is to be cultivated 

 with some other crop for a, few years. 



If the trees are to be planted in land not cultivated for 

 other crops, the manure or fertilizer would be more econom- 

 ically applied only about the trees, increasing the area cov- 

 ered as they increase in size. Unfermented manure should 

 never be placed in contact with the roots of any tree or 

 plant, but if decomposed and well mixed with the soil, no 

 injury will result from the use of a limited quantity. The 

 best way to use coarse manure is to apply it to the surface 

 about the trees slightly covered with soil. The quantity to 

 be used must be varied with the condition of the soil, but 

 should be used sparingl}^ upon the peach until they begin 

 bearing. 



Perhaps the best material to use, where the soil is not 

 sufficiently rich for the i)roduction of fruit, is fine-ground 

 bone and potash, four })arts of the former to one part of 

 muriate of potash. This, at the rate of one pound to a 

 tree, mixed in the fine soil used around the roots, and one 

 pound applied near the surface, will insure a good gro\\i;h, 

 unless the soil is unusually poor. The holes should be dug 

 a little larger than the roots will extend, and loosened a little 

 deeper than they are to be planted. For convenience and 

 beauty, trees should be set at regular distances. 



Methods of Planting. 



Generally the best time for planting is in the early spring, 

 although it may be successfully done in the fall, when the 

 leaves drop early and the shoots mature hy Nov. 1. 



In the spring, trees should not be planted until the ground 

 will work up fine, and not compact when pressed about the 

 roots. If the soil is light, the roots should be planted a 

 little deeper than they grew in the nursery, but if moist, the 

 same depth as they stood in the nursery is sufiicient. Grape 

 vines should be i)lanted with the croAvn, or collar, within 

 a few inches of the surface, and the roots extending six to 

 ten inches deep, according to the soil. Raspberry, black- 

 berry and strawberry plants should be planted as early in 



