SUPPLYING VACANCIES. 71 



but, on the other hand, much labor is saved. When 

 the plants are exposed to the wind they should be 

 provided with supports as soon as they are ten to twelve 

 inches high, and present a resisting surface. For the 

 first season's plants lining pegs may be used, but larger 

 plants will need strong, inflexible stakes, three to four feet 

 long, entering the ground on the windward side at about 

 six inches distant from the plant, and at such an angle as to 

 meet the stem at about its middle. The plant is attached 

 to the stake by a broad loop of some vegetable fibre, 

 firmly tied to the stake but loose around the stem of the 

 plant. If the plants have already been worked round by 

 the wind they will need earthing up to five or six inches 

 as well. The ties should be brushed with coal-tar, as a 

 protection against theft, insects and decay. 



Every precaution should be taken to guard against 

 failures, as "supplies," as they are called, will seldom, if 

 ever, do as well as young plants put into virgin soil, but 

 in new land failures can be entirely guarded against by 

 care, and their number may subsequently be limited 

 by keeping the ground free from weeds, and by good 

 draining, manuring and pruning. A certain number of 

 vacancies, however, will occur from time to time. And 

 they must be filled up in the following manner : The 

 original pit having been re-emptied should be enlarged 

 an inch or two all around, but especially in depth, and 

 this should be done in dry weather, the pit being left 

 open for some time, and only filled in when the time for 

 planting has arrived, but in most cases it will be desir- 

 able to refill the pit with the soil which has been taken 

 out of it. Where the vacancy is in the midst of old 

 trees a large pit is necessary to protect the new plant 



