ORCHARD PLANTING 59 



serious damage to young peach trees and is sure 

 to cause a large percentage of loss in land which 

 has a natural tendency to bake. On the other hand 

 the soil should not be dried out to a powder. 



At this point we may refer to the old practice of 

 watering the trees at planting time. There is no 

 serious objection to the practice, nor is there any 

 great advantage in it, especially if it is carelessly 

 done. If watering is to be done at all a liberal 

 amount should be given to each tree after the first 

 shovelfuls of soil are thrown in, but before the filling 

 in about the tree is completed. The water can be 

 poured on at this middle stage of the planting, al- 

 lowed to soak away and a fine soil covering applied 

 a few minutes later. This, of course, causes extra 

 trouble, and while it may be desirable when planting 

 on a small scale, it is usually disregarded with profit 

 when large orchards are being put out. 



TIME TO PLANT 



There has been a good deal of argument as to 

 whether fall planting or spring planting is best for 

 peach trees, but the question seems to settle itself 

 practically without much difficulty. In some peach- 

 growing latitudes fall and spring plantings succeed 

 almost equally well. It depends a good deal on 

 when the trees can be secured and the ground put 

 into condition. Whenever good trees can be put 

 into well-prepared ground anywhere between late 

 fall and the beginning of the growing season, they are 

 apt to succeed. Fall planting is undesirable in the 

 most northern latitudes. It is very rarely or never 

 practiced in Canada, Michigan, New York state and 

 New England. It is also undesirable on heavy, cold 

 land ; but such land should never be used for peach 



