HORTICULTURE 109 



hooked and when the power is applied the tree is pulled out by the 

 roots. 



In New Mexico and Texas the mesquite is usually grubbed out 

 by Mexicans, but in California, where labor costs more, such shrubs 

 as mesquite, manzanita, and chaparral can be more cheaply removed 

 by a stout pair of horses and a logging chain. 



An effort should be made to establish a fairly uniform grade 

 from top to bottom of each tract. This is done by cutting off the 

 high points and depositing the earth thus obtained in the depres- 

 sions. The length of the furrows should not exceed one-eighth of a 

 mile and in sandy soil they should be shorter. As a rule, it is not 

 difficult to grade the surface of an orchard so that small streams of 

 water will readily flow in furrows from top to bottom. 



Locating the Tree Rows. In setting out orchards which are to 

 be irrigated, the elevation of the surface of the ground should first 

 be ascertained. This is usually done by making a contour survey by 

 which each tract is divided up into a number of curved strips or belts. 

 With these as a guide the direction of the tree rows can be readily 

 determined. Where the trees are watered in basins or checks, flat 

 slopes are not so objectionable, but in furrow irrigation a slope of 

 about 2 inches to the 100 feet is necessary to insure an even distrib- 

 ution of water. When streams are to be run in the furrows the slope 

 of the furrows may be increased to 8, 10, and even to 12 inches to 

 the 100 feet. On slopes varying from 10 to 40 feet to the mile, the 

 tree rows may therefore be located at the proper distance apart dow r n 

 the steepest slope. Under such conditions the trees are most com- 

 monly planted in squares. The location of the trees can be best fixed 

 by the use of a surveyor's transit and steel tape. When these are not 

 available, a woven-wire cable about three-sixteenths of an inch in 

 diameter will answer the purpose. If apple trees are to be set out 

 and it is desired to have them 32 feet apart, tags are inserted between 

 the strands of the cable to mark this exact distance. A base line at 

 the proper distance from the fence or one margin of the field is then 

 laid down and long sighting stakes driven at each tag. The corner is 

 then turned and a similar line is laid out. This process is continued 

 until the location of the trees around each of the four sides of the 

 tract has been fixed. The corners can best be turned with a 100-foot 

 tape or link chain. First measure from the end of the base line a 

 distance of 30 feet. Hold the one-hundred end of the chain at this 

 point, and the 10-foot link at the corner; take the tape or chain at 

 the 50-foot mark or link and pull both lines taut. A stake driven 

 at this vertex will establish a point on a line at right angles to the 

 first. When stakes have been set on all four sides the intermediate 

 locations for the trees can be readily ascertained by sighting between 

 corresponding marginal stakes. 



Where the slope is steep and difficulties are likely to be encoun- 

 tered in distributing water, the equilateral, hexagonal, or septuple 

 method of planting, as it is variously termed, should be adopted. 

 It will be observed that in this method of planting the ground is 

 divided up into equilateral triangles, with a tree at each vertex. The 



