FOR PROFIT. 33 



not have plants left in March. The land used for 

 these must be cleaned, and heavily manured previously. 

 Care should in all cases be taken to plant the lines 

 straight, as it facilitates horse work. 



Avoid contract planting, of which the following is a 

 sample : — We had to take in hand an orchard in East 

 Kent that had failed, and on removing the dead trees 

 we found that in order to make a sightly job, the 

 planter had sunk the tall trees deeply in the ground 

 to make the heads come level; he literally dug graves 

 for them. The trees were a bad lot to start with, 

 being all heights and sizes. — Contract for holeing il 

 you wish, fixing the area and depth they are to be 

 made. As regards the time for planting : for all fruits 

 November is undoubtedly the best month, as there is 

 yet a little sap in the trees, which, on returning to 

 the roots, assists in giving the tree a start, and helps 

 to heal root wounds from lifting, the tree is thus placed 

 in the best possible position for success. On the other 

 hand, planting may be done all through the winter in 

 open weather, starting in November, and as late as 

 March, the main point being to secure the ground in 

 good working order ; and if much planting is to be 

 done, valuable time will be saved by having stakes, 

 yarns, hay bands, etc., ready for use. Soft fruits 

 (Currants, Gooseberries, etc.), may even be planted the 

 end of October, and it is surprising what roots these 

 make before Christmas if they can be settled thus 

 early. For further particulars see Chapter IV. 



