182 The Principles of Fruit-growing 



Trees should be set neither in dead-furrows nor on 

 back-furrows. Level culture should be adopted from the 

 start, unless it is known to be necessary to displace surface 

 water; and in that case it may be questioned whether the 

 land is fit for fruit plants. In all ordinary lands, holes 

 are dug by hand for the tree-fruits. Plowing out a deep 

 furrow in the line of the rows may lessen the digging and 

 aid in getting the trees in line. Peaches on light lands are 

 often set in furrows made for the purpose. 



The hole should be broad and ample; and the harder 

 the soil the larger ought the hole to be, for in that case 

 the loose dirt that is filled in must give the tree its start. 

 In loose and deep soils, the hole need be no larger than the 

 spread of the roots. Chop up the earth in the bottom of 

 the hole, or throw in a few shovelfuls of loose surface 

 earth. 



No hardpan should be left immediately under the tree. 

 It should be broken by heavy tools or blown out with 

 dynamite (page 82). 



Trees should be set an inch or two deeper than they 

 stood in the nursery, for the loose earth will settle and 

 wash away in the course of the season, even if it is well 

 packed when the trees are set. Dwarf pears should be set 

 3 to 6 inches deeper than the bud. The roots are trimmed, 

 as explained farther on. 



Every care must be exercised to get the soil thoroughly 

 firmed in about the roots — which are straightened out in 

 approximately their natural position — and especially 

 under the crown or fork of the roots, in order that no air- 

 spaces may be left to dry out. This dirt can be best placed 

 by fingering it in, moving the tree gently up and down at 

 the same time. Once or twice in the progress of filling the 

 hole, the earth should be stamped down. Fill.the hole to 



