CULTIVATION AND THINNING. 55 
other way and plant the trecs in the furrows at the intersections. 
If Black Walnut or any of the oaks are wanted in a mixed plant- 
ing it is generally best to plant the other species first and put 
in the nuts or acorns afterwards. Where it is desirable to plant 
seedlings or cuttings to fill vacancies, a pointed stick or spade 
may be used to make the hole. Whatever method is used in 
planting, it is most important that the soil be packed firmly 
around the roots, so they will not dry out. If the soil is dry it 
cannot be made too solid around the roots. If cuttings are used 
they should be made about 14 inches long, and in planting be 
pushed into the loose soil in a slanting position, leaving only 
one bud above the surface, as recommended in the planting of 
cuttings. . 
Cultivation should be commenced shortly after planting and 
be repeated often enough to keep the top three inches of soil 
loose, so as to form a dust blanket to retard evaporation during 
dry weather. The soil should never be allowed to become baked 
hard after a rain, but the crust should be broken up with a horse 
cultivator as soon after a rain as it can be worked. Cultivation 
should be discontinued after the first of August, in order to 
encourage early ripening of the wood. The weeds that grow 
after this time of year will do no harm. 
One of the best tools for early cultivation of small seedlings 
is Breed’s Weeder, which may be worked both ways and cleans 
out the weeds to perfection. The ordinary corn cultivator is 
also a good implement for this purpose. Later cultivation 
should consist of working the soil with a one-horse cultivator 
or plow. If the horse implements are properly used there will 
be no necessity of hand hoeing, for the few weeds that grow in 
the rows of trees will do no injury to them. Some planters sow 
oats among the young trees for protection when cultivation 
ceases, but if field mice are abundant it may be best not to do 
so. Late in autumn of the first year or two after planting some 
soil should be turned towards the trees with a plow, to protect 
them. e 
Thinning. In growing prairie groves we should always 
aim to have the tops of the trees just touch one another without 
serious crowding, but still have the soil shaded and protected 
from wind. In order to bring this about, the grove must be 
thinned occasionally, for although the trees would thin them- 
