108 Economical Planting. 
THE OPERATION OF PLANTING. 
Tree planting should be carefully and well done, but it need 
not necessarily be slowly done. With a kind soil deeply worked 
and just in the right condition for planting, trees may be put in 
well and rapidly. Two men work together at a decided advan- 
tage. Using the straight “tree-setter,” which has already been 
described, one takes each end, and as soon as the center notch in- 
closes the tree stake, the setter stakes are pushed into the soil, the 
“setter” is laid aside, and the two men, taking up their shovels or 
spades, begin first around the outside of the hole, throwing all the 
surface dirt on the same side of the hole and leaving the tree stake 
to be thrown out last, because its remaining serves to center the 
hole. The lower soil is now thrown to the other side of the 
hole, and when depth enough is reached, the soil at the bottom 
of the hole is loosened up to the depth of a shovel-thrust, with- 
out removing it from the hole. A shovelful or two of the sur- 
face soil is thrown into the center of the hole, being allowed to 
remain higher in the center, because this generally furnishes a 
cushion about the natural shape of the under surface of the root 
system of the tree. Now replace the tree-setter upon its end 
pegs, let one man hold the tree with its stem in the central notch 
in the setter, and while the other man shovels in the surface earth 
rather slowly at first, the man who holds the tree with one hand 
will spread out the roots, pulverize and pack the earth around 
them, being sure that no cavities are left under any of the roots, 
but that their surfaces everywhere come in contact with the soil, 
and that they spread out as widely as possible. The earth is 
being continuously put in by the shoveler, and when the roots 
are covered the planter steps in the hole and carefully firms the 
soil down upon the roots by tramping (especially at the cut ends 
of the roots around the outer side of the hole), at the same time 
judging of the perpendicularity of the tree with his eye. When 
this is done, both men use their shovels and fill up the hole with 
the earth taken from belcw, being sure to leave the last few 
inches at the surface pulverized, but untramped, unless the soil 
he very light so that tramping will not overpack it. Some ove 
said long ago that one should not plant a tree as he does a post, 
ramming down the earth to the very top ot the hole. Many 
trees are doubtless ruined by overzeal in this respect. 
The shovel has been mentioned frequently as the tool to be 
used in planting. Where the soil is deeply plowed, well worked, 
and free from stone, the shovel is the most rapid tool. Under 
other conditions the long-handled spade, and in some cases the 
long-handled spading-fork, serves admirably in loosening the 
soil at the bottom of the holes and in breaking up lumps while 
filling in. One man with a shovel or spade, and the other with 
the fork. makes a good combination in this respect. 
