58 THE CONNECTICUT POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



ground. I vary the distance anywhere from 26 to 30 feet and 

 often more, so as not only to get a better place for the trees 

 but to break the wind. There are two points well worthy of 

 being taken into consideration. In digging the hole to put your 

 tree in when you are setting them out, there is a point there 

 that I would like to emphasize. IMost everybody thinks they 

 understand how to set a tree. My plan is to dig the hole and 

 place some mellow soil in the bottom of the hole and then pack 

 the soil over the roots very firmly. It will start the trees better 

 than it will in any other way. The reason for packing the dirt 

 firm around the roots, and for having mellow soil under the 

 roots of the tree is because the roots of the tree will start in 

 the direction of the least resistance and that will be down. 



If you will put mellow^ soil down under your tree and pack it 

 firmly on top, you will get a much better start for the tree. As 

 I say, the roots will follow in the direction of the least resistance 

 and if the soil is packed hard on top of course they will go 

 down. I should prefer even to get a tree out of line a little in 

 order to get it into a good place and so get it into good shape 

 and get a good start. 



Immediately after planting the tree you want to put some 

 mulch around it. Do not do too much cultivating around the 

 tree. That is one thing that I have mentioned. Every time 

 you cultivate you tend to exhaust your humus. That means 

 something. That is what you want to put into the soil instead 

 of taking it out of it. Some of these men that advocate culti- 

 vating forty or fifty times if necessary — they are using up the 

 goose that lays the golden egg, because they are using up the 

 humus by cultivation. I find that the longer you cultivate the 

 less effectually you can hold the moisture or prevent capillary 

 action. You have all heard of that. That works very nicely 

 for a while, but after you have followed that up this humus 

 becomes burned out and then }ou can cultivate all you have 

 a mind to and you cannot keep that in the soil where you 

 w'ant it. The soil moisture will get away in spite of you. 

 Through this plan of mine I claim that you are accumulating 

 humus all the while. 



Now a word in regard to spraying. Some do not think it 

 pays. Some say it is not necessary to spray but once. But I 

 believe in spraying at least three times. Spray every year 



