74 Planting in Nursery. 
fully set forth in the chapter on climate. Spring must be de- 
tected in the behavior of vegetation and not by the calendar. 
When the tree buds swell and the leaves appear, spring has 
come for that locality. But whether one can plant his nursery 
then or not will depend upon the character of the soil and the 
condition of the rainfall for that season. This varies much 
from year to year. As a rule, however, in most parts where 
fruit is grown at present in large quantities, the heavy cold rains 
will be over by the first of February, and then nursery opera- 
tions can commence if the soil is in good condition. If not, the 
planter must wait until the soil is dry enough to work nicely. 
There will, of course, be heavy rains after the first of February; 
but they will not do more injury than to require cultivation to 
loosen the soil, if the nursery ground is well situated for drain- 
age, and if it is not it should not be used for this purpose. 
Supposing the ground has been deeply plowed and thor- 
oughly harrowed, as has been already described, the laying out 
of the ground is the next operation. Everything should be 
done with a view to the use of the horse in cultivation. The 
rows should be laid out as straight as possible. Some use a 
plow furrow; some an arrangement like a corn-marker, with 
two cultivator teeth set four feet apart; some stretch a line, to 
get the pits or root grafts as true to it as possible, and some 
trust to the furrow for straightness. No rule can be laid down 
for means to be employed; the result must depend upon the eye 
and skill of the individual. Some people can hardly shoot a 
straight line with a gun. Each must do the best he can in this 
respect. 
There is difference in practise as to distance between the 
rows in nursery. The usual distance is four feet, but others 
claim that it is better to make the rows six feet apart, especially 
where no irrigation is practised, as this gives the young trees 
more room, and if the ground is kept thoroughly cultivated, as 
it should be, it gives the roots a greater supply of moisture to 
draw upon. In growing a small lot of trees, where there is 
plenty of land, it is, of course, desirable to give them every 
advantage in the way of facilities for growth. 
At the ends of the rows spaces of about twelve feet should 
be left as turning-ground for the horse when cultivating, and as 
a roadway. The length of nursery rows depends upon the taste 
of the grower. It is convenient to have alleys wide enough for 
a horse and cart at intervals of one hundred to three hundred 
feet, but in small nurseries the headlands would probably give 
all the access required. 
The depth for planting seeds and pits must be regulated by 
the size of the seed and the character of the soil, as is always 
