110 HORTICULTURAL MANUAL. 



on the same side of the tree or stake. If reversed on 

 alternate rows it will make a crook in the rows. 



117. Fall- or Spring-planting, In all parts where severe 

 freezing occurs in winter it is a gain to dig the holes in the 

 fall. The dirt thrown ont is fined and mellowed by frost 

 and the sides and bottom of the holes are softened and 

 moistened by frosts, rains, and melted snow. With the 

 holes dug in autumn an opportune time can be selected in 

 spring for planting the trees. If the holes are dug in 

 autumn it is necessary to stick the pins (116) quite firmly 

 to prevent displacing during winter. 



Even in the South the digging of the holes in autumn 

 is quite as profitable with a view to fining the soil by 

 exposure. If dug in the spring when wet most of the 

 southern soils will bake and become lumpy and compacted. 

 In the Eastern and Southern States, and on the Pacific 

 coast, the holes are dug and the trees often planted late in 

 fall or in midwinter. The moist soil and relatively cool 

 air of mild climates in winter are favorable for the start- 

 ing of rootlets, and the evaporation from the top is not 

 sufficient to injure them. But in the interior east of the 

 Rocky Mountains to the lakes, the dry winds of winter 

 and early spring often draw more moisture from the tops 

 than the unestablished roots can supply. In the West 

 the planting is usually deferred (119) until the heeled-in 

 trees have started buds and some root-growth. If planted 

 when trees can first be dug the dry spring winds often 

 damage the tops before the season of growth. 



118. Young Trees Best for Planting. In all parts the 

 use of what T. T. Lyon, of Michigan, called " maiden 

 trees " for orchard planting is now advocated by experi- 

 enced planters. In the peach-growing districts June- 

 budded trees attaining a height of only three or four feet 

 are now preferred to large ones. At the North and in 



