CHAPTER. X, 
PREPARATION FOR PLANTING. 
The two essentials in preparing land for trees or vines are 
deep and thorough cultivation, and provision for drainage, unless 
the situation is naturally well drained. Drainage will be con- 
sidered in connection with irrigation in another chapter. In 
this place, however, by way of emphasis, it may be remarked 
that high land is not necessarily well drained, although the gen- 
eral feature of the surface may be an incline, nor is low land 
necessarily wet, although the surface may be apparently level. 
For horticultural purposes the drainage of the land must be 
considered on the hillside as well as in the valley, for reasons 
which will be more fully set forth in the chapter on drainage. 
The preparation of land for fruit planting should begin with 
grading. In irrigated orchards this is essential for the equal 
distribution of water. Even where irrigation is not anticipated, 
it is of decided advantage to smooth down hummocks and fill 
sags which are likely to collect,water in the rainy season. As 
has been shown in Chapter III, this can be done on most Cal- 
ifornia soils without danger of uncovering a sterile subsoil. 
Some intimation of the method of grading is given at the close 
of Chapter VII. In preparation for the irrigated orchard, and 
the probability of irrigation is now great even in regions where 
formerly rainfall was the sole reliance, it is important that 
accurate grading should be done and the use of the surveyor’s 
level and grade stakes will be found a very desirable investment. 
All moving of soil should precede the general plowing. 
For the planting of orchard or vineyard the land must be 
put in as good tilth as possible, and extra expenditure to secure 
this will be amply repaid in the after-growth of the trees and 
vines. If practicable, it will be all the better to have the process 
of preparation begin a year before the plants are to be set. 
This is true either with newly-cleared land, as has been described, 
or with old grain or pasture land which is to be used for fruit. 
Thorough and deep breaking up as soon as practicable to plow 
in the fall, and leaving the surface rough during the winter, 
facilitates the access of air to the lower layers of the soil, and 
in a certain sense mav be said to sweeten and enliven it. Fol- 
lowing in the furrow with a subsoil plow is very desirable, either 
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