82 THE APPLE 



be best to press the soil among the finer roots. Have the tree set 

 as mentioned previously (p. 73), just a little deeper than it stood 

 in the nursery. It may be well to allow the soil around the tree 

 to slope slightly toward it. The final shovelful should be spread 

 around the tree without firming, in order to establish a dust blanket 

 or mulch which will prevent loss of moisture by evaporation. 



Watering. The common belief that apple trees should have a 

 liberal supply of water at transplanting time is not well founded. 

 The soil is in best condition for transplanting when just moist 

 enough for easy working. This is sometimes spoken of as a 

 " mellow " condition or a" good state of tilth." Any addition of 

 water to the soil during the process of transplanting must be harm- 

 ful. Planting when the earth is sticky cannot be commended, but 

 if water is ever to be added, it may possibly be when work must 

 continue even though the earth is too adhesive to permit proper 

 working among and about the roots. By a long series of experi- 

 ments it has been demonstrated that the best way to supply water 

 to transplanted apple trees is to make the earth about the roots so 

 compact that there will be no recognizable air spaces. This is why 

 firm packing of the fine earth around the roots is of the greatest 

 value. The earth particles must be in a state of fine division, and 

 each particle must be surrounded by an adherent film of water, 

 or the water supply will not be sufficient. It is well known that 

 when soil is stirred while saturated with water it afterwards tends 

 to "bake " ; that is, to form a hard, unyielding mass, very difficult 

 to pulverize. It is then in no condition to hold film water, and the 

 trees will suffer. 



