106 CALIFORNIA FRUITS: HOW TO GROW THEM 



do not approve the practice. In such cases the sides of the holes 

 should always be freshly pared off before the trees are put in, be- 

 cause the rain and sunshine are apt to cement the sides. In digging 

 holes the surface earth should always be thrown on one side and 

 the lower soil on another. The object of this is to have the top soil 

 to place in direct contact with the roots when the tree is planted, the 

 lower soil being used to fill up the hole with. 



TREE SETTERS 



No matter how carefully the stakes are placed in laying off the 

 orchard, the trees will not easily come in line unless some handy 

 device is used for bringing the stem just in the place occupied by 

 the stake which was thrown out in digging. These devices are 

 called ''tree-setters," and there are a number of designs. Two are 

 given, either of which will give good results. Take a piece of board 

 one inch thick, four inches wide, and five feet long; bore an inch 

 hole in the center, and one at each end at equal distance from the 

 center; then cut a piece from one side of the board, marked by a 



Bar for tree setting. 



square, the corner resting in the middle of the center hole. Make 

 two stakes, each one foot long, that will easily pass through the 

 end holes. Place the center of this board against the stake, where 

 'the tree is to be planted ; push the stakes into the ground through 

 the holes in the ends, then lift the board from position and proceed 

 to dig the hole. When dug, replace the board over the end stakes 

 in its former position, then plant the tree with its trunk resting 

 against the center notch in the board, and you have it in just the 

 right place. 



Another setter is in the form of a triangle : Take three pieces 

 of plain one-inch stuff three to four inches wide and four feet long, 

 and nail them together, forming a three-cornered frame, letting the 

 ends project sufficiently to form a corner, as shown in the drawing. 

 Next make a couple of smooth, hard stakes, well sharpened, and 

 about a foot or sixteen inches in length. When you are ready to 

 set your trees, place the frame flat upon the ground with one corner 

 firmly and fairly against the stake \vhich marks the place where the 

 tree is to stand. Now in the other two corners stick the stakes 

 already prepared for the purpose. This done pull up the stake 

 against which the frame was first placed the one indicating a place 

 for a tree remove the frame, being careful in doing so not to move 

 the other two stakes, which must be left to be used while setting 



