CULTIVATION AND THINNING. 55 



other way and plant the trees in the furrows at the intersections. 

 If Black Walnut or any of the oaks are wanted in a mixed plant- 

 ing it is generally best to plant the other species first and put 

 in the nuts or acorns afterwards. Where it is desirable to plant 

 seedlings or cuttings to fill vacancies, a pointed stick or spade 

 may be used to make the hole. Whatever method is used in 

 planting, it is most important that the soil be packed firmly 

 around the roots, so they will not dry out. If the soil is dry it 

 cannot be made too solid around the roots. If cuttings are used 

 they should be made about 14 inches long, and in planting be 

 pushed into the loose soil in a slanting position, leaving only 

 one bud above the surface, as recommended in the planting of 

 cuttings. 



Cultivation should be commenced shortly after planting and 

 be repeated often enough to keep the top three inches of soil 

 loose, so as to form a dust blanket to retard evaporation during 

 dry weather. The soil should never be allowed to become baked 

 hard after a rain, but the crust should be broken up with a horse 

 cultivator as soon after a rain as it can be worked. Cultivation 

 should be discontinued after the first of August, in order to 

 encourage early ripening of the wood. The weeds that grow 

 after this time of year will do no harm. 



One of the best tools for early cultivation of small seedlings 

 is Breed's Weeder, which may be worked both ways and cleans 

 out the weeds to perfection. The ordinary corn cultivator is 

 also a good implement for this purpose. Later cultivation 

 should consist of working the soil with a one-horse cultivator 

 or plow. If the horse implements are properly used there will 

 be no necessity of hand hoeing, for the few weeds that grow in 

 the rows of trees will do no injury to them. Some planters sow 

 oats among the young trees for protection when cultivation 

 ceases, but if field mice are abundant it may be best not to do 

 so. Late in autumn of the first year or two after planting some 

 soil should be turned towards the trees with a plow, to protect 

 them. 



Thinning. In growing prairie groves we should always 

 aim to have the tops of the trees just touch one another without 

 serious crowding, but still have the soil shaded and protected 

 from wind. In order to bring this about, the grove must be 

 thinned occasionally, for although the trees would thin them- 



