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ENCYCLOPEDIA OF PRACTICAL HORTICULTURE 



erately cool room. They should not be 

 permitted to freeze, and neither must they 

 be allowed to dry out. Examine fre- 

 quently and sprinkle the sawdust a few 

 times if necessary to keep moist. If the 

 room is warm and the sawdust is kept 

 moist, the grafts will certainly begin to 

 grow at least a month before they can 

 be planted, which will injure them very 

 greatly. 



Planting 

 As soon as the ground will do to work 

 in the spring select a place where the 

 soil is moderately rich, but not extremely 

 so, on which to plant the grafts. Plow 

 the land deeply, and otherwise prepare 

 as for a garden spot. The rows should be 

 perfectly straight in order to facilitate 

 close cultivation with the horse culti- 

 vator. Use a line or wire for getting the 

 rows straight. The rows should be four 

 feet apart. The planting may be done 

 by either of two methods. Where a large 

 number of grafts are to be planted a 



furrow is opened with a turning plow. 

 The grafts are then stood up along the 

 vertical side and the earth thrown 

 against them with a plow or by hand. 

 Where only a few grafts are to be planted 

 the other method is employed. This con- 

 sists of making holes about eight inches 

 deep with a wooden pole properly sharp- 

 ened for the purpose. A long, round bar 

 of iron is sometimes used, but is rather 

 too heavy for convenience. In making 

 the holes the pole should be carefully 

 withdrawn from the ground with many 

 side movements, so that the soil will not 

 fall in. 



Plant the grafts deeply. After placing 

 them in the holes or in the furrow there 

 should be only one or two of the buds 

 of the scion left above ground. This 

 makes it necessary that the ground 

 should have been plowed deeply. The 

 most important operation of all in plant- 

 ing is to be certain to press the soil up 

 closely against the roots of the grafts. 



Fig. 4. Planting Apple Grafts. The soil must be pressed tislitly against all parts 

 underground. Use a dibber for this purpose as shown in the Illustration. The 

 second graft from the left hand side is Improperly planted, as there is a large air 

 space at the bottom. The last one on the right is correctly planted — in contact 

 with the soil throughout. 



