ECONOMIC PLANTS 



245 



If trees are planted thirty feet apart, the square system 

 give forty-eight trees to the acre, while the hexag- 

 onal system allows 

 fifty-five trees to 

 the acre. 



Planting an Or- 

 chard. Few farm- 

 ers raise apples or 

 other tree fruits 

 from the seed. 

 They depend in- 

 stead upon the 

 nurseryman to sup- 

 ply them with trees 

 from two to three 

 years old. Sym- 

 metrical trees with 

 roots in good con- 

 dition should be se- 

 lected, but perfect roots are more important than sym- 

 metry, for pruning can remedy some defects in shape. 

 Horticulturists are recommending less top and more 

 roots on transplanted trees, on the principle that roots 

 can grow a top, but a top can never do the work of 

 roots in the growth of the tree. 



Orchard land should be well plowed and harrowed 

 before being planted, and well tilled afterward. 

 Farmers have learned that an orchard must not be 

 left to take care of itself. 



The holes for planting should always be greater in 

 diameter than the spread of the roots, so that the root 

 tips need not be coiled or doubled back. 



The soil should be closely packed under and about 



FIG. 126. 



