38 The Fruit-Growers Guide-Book 



est roots need to be shortened in to about six inches and 

 cut with a smooth clean cut. Any roots that are broken 

 or bruised need to be removed, and all cut surfaces need 

 to be made smooth so they will heal quickly. 



Filling in the soil about the trees is a very important 

 step in tree planting. To get the best results the soil must 

 be packed closely about the roots, so that there are no air 

 holes or crevices. The best way to do this is with the 

 hand. When the tree is in place spread the roots out 

 and throw a shovelful of soil over them, shake the tree up 

 and down several times and then work it into the crev- 

 ices between the roots with the fingers. Throw in a little 

 more soil and work into the remaining crevices, and 

 then with the feet tramp the soil solid. Throw in 

 more soil and tramp, repeating until the hole is full and 

 the dirt about the tree is packed down solid and tight. 

 Moving the tree up and down while the earth is being 

 thrown in will assist materially in avoiding air holes and 

 in bringing the soil in close contact with the roots. There 

 is little danger of packing the soil too tightly about the 

 roots. The greatest danger is in not getting it packed 

 tightly enough and leaving air holes that will let the roots 

 dry out and the tree die. 



The trees should be set just a little deeper than they 

 stood when in the nursery, although not over an inch 

 deeper. Setting too deep is as dangerous as not setting 

 deep enough. The best guide is the line marking the 

 change in color of the bark at the crown where the tree 

 enters the ground. 



After the tree has been firmly packed in the hole throw 

 an inch or so of loose earth over the packed soil to serve 

 as a dust mulch and prevent from drying out. Watering 

 at the time the tree is planted is not necessary in the East- 

 ern or Middle Western states, but in the semi-arid country, 

 where the trees cannot be irrigated immediately after be- 

 ing planted, it is often advisable to pour a bucketful of 

 water about the newly planted tree. This should be done 

 before the hole is filled with soil, and the water allowed 

 to percolate away. Then fill up with the dry soil and do 



