62 THE AMERICAN PEACH ORCHARD 



40 feet apart, with peaches between in both direc- 

 tions. This makes 27 apple and 81 peach trees to 

 each acre. 



THE WORK OF PLANTING 



When the trees are on hand and the ground ready, 

 the planting enterprise should be organized and 

 directed with considerable care. The field to be 

 planted should first be laid off accurately. The best 

 method of doing this is to mark out the first row 

 carefully on the long side of the field, taking the 

 measurements with a surveyor's chain, a strong tape 

 line (steel preferred) or a light bamboo pole cut 

 to 16 or 18 feet, or to whatever distance has been 

 decided upon for spacing the trees. At right angles 

 with this first base line another row of trees should 

 be laid off. The second row may be along one end 

 or across the middle of the field, and should be laid 

 and spaced with equal care, considerable pains be- 

 ing given also to see that it lies at right angles 

 with the first base line. From these two base lines 

 intersecting at right angles, the entire field may be 

 rapidly laid off. 



A common way, and perhaps the best one, is to 

 have at hand two light poles cut to the necessary 

 length representing the distance between trees. Be- 

 ginning with these poles at the intersection of the 

 two lines already mentioned, a second row can be 

 laid out parallel with the first one in the following 

 manner: The first pole is laid at the second tree 

 of the base line, the second pole is laid at the sec- 

 ond tree of the cross line, and the free ends of the 

 two poles brought together. At the point where 

 they meet a stake is set representing the second tree 

 in the new row, forming, with the poles lying toward 



