WHEN TO PLANT 53 



men and a foreman. After the first two lines of stakes have 

 been set (the base line and the one at right angles to it), and 

 after some start has been made in locating the stakes with the 

 measuring boards, which preliminary work can be done most 

 economically by about three men, this gang goes into the field 

 and is divided as follows : Two men continue setting stakes, the 

 foreman and one man go after trees, and the balance of the gang 

 begin digging holes. 



The foreman and his assistant go to the spot where the trees 

 are heeled in. They have a stone boat on which are mounted two 

 barrels, which are half full of water, and the stone boat drawn 

 by a single horse (Fig. 17). The trees are pulled out and the 

 roots trimmed by taking off any broken roots and cutting back 

 any long, straggling ones. Then the tree is put into one of the 

 barrels. This insures the tree arriving at the hole in the best 

 possible condition with its roots thoroughly wet. When both 

 barrels are full, the horse is driven out to the spot where setting 

 is to begin, and the men who are staking off and those who are 

 digging holes, all '' knock off " and go to setting (Fig. 18). The 

 foreman distributes the trees and the men divide into pairs, one 

 man doing the shovelling and the other setting the tree. If the 

 subsoil is poor, it is best when the hole is dug, to put the surface 

 soil in one pile and the subsoil in another. Then when the tree 

 is set the surface soil may be used about the roots and thus give 

 the. tree a better soil in which to start growth. The tree should 

 be set perhaps an inch or two deeper than it stood in the nurserj', 

 and the soil should be worked in among the roots and then very 

 firmly tramped down (Figs. 19 and 20). This last is extremely 

 important, as it not only keeps the soil from drying out but it 

 brings the soil in intimate contact with the roots so that they 

 can start growth better. 



When to Plant. — The question of fall vs. spring planting 

 ought to be mentioned here. There are three distinct advantages 

 of fall planting; first, the planter is almost certain to get the 

 varieties that he wants because he is compelled to order so early ; 

 second, the trees are ready to start gTOwth early in the spring; 

 and third, it gets just so much work out of the way of the 

 " spring rush." This last is of varjdng importance according 



