56 THE FOREST TREE CULTURIST. 
neglect by digging large, deep holes, filling them up with 
good soil, and on this plant their trees. This is a very 
good plan, and the larger they are made the better. But 
on clayey soils they often become mere reservoirs that re- 
ceive all the surface-water for several yards about the tree, 
making a mud-hole instead of a dry place. 
The shape in which holes are generally dug is only mak- 
ing a bad matter worse; that is, making them deeper in 
the center than upon the outside, so that when filled up to 
the proper height to receive the tree, there is a greater 
depth of loose soil under the center, where there is less use 
for it, than at the extremities of the roots. The proper 
shape in which to leave the subsoil in the bottom of the 
hole is in the form of a dome. When the hole is filled up 
to where you wish to set the tree, you have less loose soil 
under the center than at the extremities of the roots, 
which entirely obviates the difficulty mentioned above. 
As the water passes down through the soil and reaches this 
cone, it settles away from the tree instead of remaining 
under it. Fig. 15, A, shows the form of the bottom of the 
hole when ready for the tree. If a post auger is bored 
down in two or more places around the outside of the 
hole, B, B, it will be found very beneficial in carrying off 
the surplus water. Some may object to this form of leay- 
ing the bottom, as it will not leave as much room for the 
zenter or tap-root. But we are supposing that the trees 
have been carefully prepared when young, and the tap-root 
ent away at the proper time. 
In planting trees of large size, it becomes necessary that 
we should use some means by which we can keep them 
