HORTICULTURE 67 



of the trees accompanied by low temperatures. Northwestern win- 

 ters are cold and dry, while Michigan and the Eastern states have a 

 more moist climate and higher temperature. A newly planted tree 

 has been deprived of the larger portion of its root system, and if set 

 in the fall has no chance to develop a new one or become established 

 before winter. As a result it is in the poorest condition for supplying 

 its top with moisture. Unable to furnish as much moisture to the 

 top as is lost by evaporation, the tissues of the plant become dried 

 out to the extent that the growing parts are killed or so severely in- 

 jured that the tree is unable to resume growth in the spring. The 

 arguments advanced in favor of fall planting are so greatly out- 

 weighed by this one condition that fall planting cannot be recom- 

 mended for Wisconsin, and other similar sections of the Northwest. 



Trees should be planted as early in the spring as soil and cli- 

 matic conditions will permit. If, for any reason, planting has been 

 delayed, it can be done well into May, particularly if the trees have 

 been carried in a storage cellar, and are in a dormant condition. 

 Trees may be set when in leaf, but this is far less satisfactory than 

 when they are dormant. 



Setting the Trees. There are several items which need careful 

 attention in setting the tree. One of the very first is getting the tree 

 in the proper position. In many of the systems of laying out an 

 orchard a stake is set to mark the location of the tree. As the stake 

 is removed to dig the hole, difficulty arises in getting the tree in the 

 position occupied by the stake, as very frequently the root system of 

 the tree is such that the hole cannot be dug symmetrically. To ob- 

 viate this difficulty, the planting board is employed. There are two 

 forms of planting boards commonly used. The more common one is 

 made from a piece of board about 6 feet long and 6 inches wide. 

 A notch is cut in one side at the center, and a hole bored at equal 

 distance near either end v These holes are provided with wooden 

 pins. The notch of the planting board is placed over the stake locat- 

 ing the tree and the pins stuck in the ground through the holes in 

 the ends. The board and stake may then be removed, and the hole 

 dug. Replacing the board over the pins shows the exact location of 

 the tree. Another form of planting board is the equilateral triangle. 

 Three laths or narrow pieces of lumber are fastened together so that 

 they form a triangle with the ends projecting as shown in figure 12. 

 Care should be taken to have the distance between each two adjoin- 

 ing corners equal as this will relieve the necessity of replacing the 

 triangle in the same position. One projecting end is put over the 

 tree stake, and the pins placed in the others. This marks the loca- 

 tion of the tree after digging the hole the same as with the former. 



Size of Hole for Planting. The size of the hole for the tree de- 

 pends upon three factors, extent of the root system, character of the 

 soil, and height of heading. The size of the hole in relation to the 

 extent of the root system varies from that made by the crow-bar, as 

 used in the "Stringfellow" system of planting to two feet or more 

 square. Under normal conditions the size of the hole would be such 

 as will conveniently admit the root system without crowding. In 



