CHAPTER II. 



Planting Fruit Trees. 



HE fruit plot must be well prepared } and free 

 from weeds before any planting is done. In 

 dealing with a piece of land which has been 

 badly cultivated, or possibly under grass for 

 some years, it is worth while to postpone 

 the planting for one year, and, after bastard 

 trenching the land in autumn and winter, to plant 

 the plot with main-crop potatoes for one season. 

 The hoeing, earthing-up, and lifting of the potato 

 crop together with the weed-smothering effect of 

 the potato foliage, will leave the land clean and in 

 excellent condition for planting in the following 

 autumn. 



THE BEST TIME TO PLANT. 



Fruit trees should be planted during dry weather 

 in the month of October whilst the soil retains some 

 of the summer heat. This enables the trees to produce 

 a quantity of small rootlets before cold weather 

 sets in, so that, in the following spring, the trees 

 may start into growth without any check ; but if the 

 planting is delayed until the soil is cold and wet, 

 the consequent check to the growth will leave its 

 mark on the trees for some time. 



Planting is often done in spring when the weather 

 is suitable, but this entails either pruning at the 

 same time as planting or else the putting off of the 

 pruning until the following winter, and experience 

 teaches us that this is bad practice. 



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