PLANTING AND CARE OF THE ORCHARD. 39 



eight inches, than they grew in the nursery. In severe locations 

 and on gravelly soils they are frequently planted a foot deeper 

 to protect from frost injury. 



(b) In the case of fruit trees of best planting out size, if the 

 land has been properly plowed and furrowed out only a little 

 digging will be required. 



(c) In digging holes in shallow soil put the surface and 

 subsoils separate and then use the surface soil to cover the roots 

 and put the subsoil on top. 



(d) Firm the soil around the roots of the trees until it is 

 solid. For this purpose it is a good plan to use a packer of 

 wood such as is used to firm the soil around posts. This is espe- 

 cially important on dry soils. 



Pruning the Trees. 



(a) Trees may be left until after they are set out before 

 pruning but sometimes it may effect quite a saving in freight 

 to prune the trees before they are shipped from the nursery. 



(b) Severe pruning is often needed for young trees as 

 much depends upon the forming of the tree when young. The 

 subject of pruning is more fully discussed in Chapter IV. 



(c) Perhaps no question is more important than that of 

 deciding at what height the trees should branch out. This will 

 depend much on location. Trees with long trunks certainly tend 

 to make cultivation methods easy and in very favorable sections 

 they may be safely thus trained. In the Middle states and the 

 Pacific coast states, best results have come from allowing the 

 branches of trees to start within two feet of or close to the 

 ground and thus the trunk is protected against sunscald and 

 other climatic troubles. Fruit may be harvested more easily and 

 cheaply from trees with low, open heads. 



(d) It is generally advisable to shorten the roots of ordinary 

 two-year-old apple and pear trees and vigorous one-year-old 

 plum and peach trees to about eight inches, where there are sev- 

 eral roots, as such treatment facilitates planting and does not 

 injure the trees. Larger trees should have their roots shortened 

 in the same proportion and the ragged ends of roots should 

 always be cut off before planting. Such pruning as this may 

 easily be done with a sharp "hatchet on a block, 



