112 HORTICULTURAL MANUAL. 



the trees to the field with the roots in a large tub of water 

 and planting with wet roots to which the dirt will readily 

 adhere. 



120. Proper Depth to Plant Trees. The proper depth 

 to plant fruit trees is variable, dependent upon climatic 

 conditions. Where there is no liability to root-killing it 

 is not desirable to plant trees and shrubs more than four 

 inches deeper than they stood in nursery. But in the 

 interior States and parts of Canada the winters are often 

 snowless, with low temperature long continued, causing 

 the injury or death of tender roots planted at ordinary 

 depth. During the winter of 1898-99 tens of thousands 

 of valuable bearing fruit trees west of the lakes were root- 

 killed without a terminal bud of the top being injured. 

 In this instance the same varieties quite deeply planted on 

 dry soil were not injured and the same was true of varieties 

 with surface protected by cover-crops, weeds, leaves, and 

 in parts of the States by snow. In such localities experi- 

 ence has demonstrated that young trees can be planted 

 one foot deeper than they stood in nursery. But this 

 deep planting only is practised with trees budded or 

 grafted on tender stocks where the conditions are favor- 

 able for root-killing. 



121. Pruning Tops and Boots Before Transplanting or 

 Heeling In, The young nursery tree usually needs some 

 pruning of the top prior to planting with a view to giving 

 proper height of stem and shape of top. It is now gen- 

 erally Relieved by experienced planters that a fruit-tree 

 stem should not exceed three feet in height. Even in 

 California the low-stemmed citrus and other fruit trees are 

 preferred. If not high enough to work under, still shorter 

 stems are desirable in the northern prairie States. The 

 most desirable shape of top as to spacing of the limbs is 

 shown at Fig. 58, at ( A) as received from the nursery, 



