PLANTING AN OBCHAED. 73 



fence ; when at the south end, turn to the rigTit, and run 

 back to the place of starting at the distance of twenty- 

 one feet from the fence. By so doing, the two furrows 

 will be thrown together, and the center of the ridge 

 formed by these two furrows will be twenty feet from the 

 fence, the distance designed for the first row of trees. 

 Another ridge twenty feet to the west of that will now 

 be formed in the same way, and so on until the requisite 

 number has been made. If a beginning be made on the 

 west side of the field, the process will be the same, ex- 

 cept that the first furrow will be twenty-one and the 

 second nineteen feet from the fence, reversing the first 

 order, but producing the same result. When these ridges 

 have been made, the cross furrows are also run in two 

 ways. The first is simply single furrows run at right 

 angles with the ridges, and twenty feet apart. The 

 other is to run two furrows, one nineteen and the other 

 twenty-one feet from the fence, throwing the mold in op- 

 posite directions ; and thus forming the ridges into squares 

 whose sides are two feet. In the center of these squares, 

 the trees are planted. It is easily seen that by this meth- 

 od a dry seat is obtained for the young tree, as it is 

 drained on all sides, which is the only advantage. In 

 fall planting, especially when the land is low, we think 

 it is to be preferred, but not in the spring — indeed, unless 

 there is danger of drowning out the trees, during winter, 

 we would not recommend it. 



When the ground has been prepared by running the 

 cross furrows or ridges, there is nothing more to do until 

 the planting begins. But when it has been plowed, har- 

 rowed, and rolled, as at first described, the planter has a 

 choice of methods of marking, or " signing " out, his or- 

 chard. He can do it by simply running furrows and 

 cross furrows, at the proper distances, as heretofore men- 

 tioned, for ground tliat has not been plowed at all, and 

 which is done just as for corn, only that the rows are 



