29 



the planting board to keep its position. 

 The board is then taken up, the original 

 peg is removed, the hole dug, and on re- 

 placing the board the tree should be 

 placed at the central notch where the 

 original marking peg was. 



The following is Professor W. B. 

 Alwood's recommendation as to the 

 method of planting : — Dig out the hole 

 about 2Jr feet in diameter, removing first 



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Tr^o olanied on the oquzre ly^Mib. The Trian^uiar or alternate system. 



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Ths Hexagonal or Septuple system. 



The Qui" iiuc 57.. um 



Ways oe Laying Out Orchards. 



From Prof. E. J. Wickson's book " Calif ornian 



Fruits." 



all the surface soil, and place it in a separ- 

 ate heap beside the hole ; then remove the 

 subsoil placing it in a heap on the opposite 

 side of the hole. Take the precaution not 

 to place these heaps on a line that will 

 interfere with the replacing of the setting 

 board. The earth should be excavated to 

 a depth of 18 inches, then a strong iron 



fork is used to loosen several inches 

 deeper. Then the foreman places the set- 

 ting board over the hole in proper position 

 on the pegs; one of two workmen hands 

 him the tree, which is placed in position. 

 At this point one of the workmen puts into 

 the hole mellow surface soil, as much as 

 may be necessary to bring the tree to the 

 proper depth for planting, so as when 

 completed to be one inch deeper than in 

 the nursery. The foreman arranges the 

 tree, then on his knees places the roots in 

 natural position and distributes fine soil 

 through them as supplied by the work- 

 men; the earth is compacted tightly with 

 the fingers, maintaining the roots separate 

 from each other. As soon as the roots 

 are properly placed and sufficiently com- 

 pacted to ensure position of the tree, 

 remove the planting board. The foreman 

 continues to hold the tree in position and 

 compact the soil with his feet. 



During the filling of the hole care 

 should be taken to lean the tree slightly 

 to the prevailing wind. The hole is 

 entirely filled with best surface soil. The 

 earth may be heaped around the tree an 

 inch or two above the surface level of the 

 field. The tree should be set firmly, with 

 as little free air space as possible. Trees 

 should not be set when the soil is wet, as 

 wet earth compacted against the roots 

 will shrink away from them and leave an 

 air space around the roots. 



Planting on the Equilateral Triangle. 

 This system has the advantage of allow- 

 ing 15 per cent, more trees on a given area 

 than if planted at the same distance on 

 the square. I once set out a plantation of 

 bush apples, 12 feet apart, on the triangle, 

 by the method I had seen recommended in 

 American fruit growing literature. This 

 method is as follows : — ^Stake the base line 

 at 12 feet apart, then using two wires with 

 rings at each end (12 feet long, to centres 

 of rings), one places the ring of one wire 

 over a stake on the base line, and does the 

 same with the other wire at the next 

 stake ; at the same time another person 

 holds the two rings at the further ends of 

 the wires together and drives a peg in at 

 the meeting point, thus forming an equi- 

 lateral triangle. The same metliod is 

 adopted all along the line and then line 

 by line. The result is very good as to 

 accuracy. One of the advantaa;es claimed 



