124 
erately cool room. They should not be 
permitted to freeze, and neither must they 
be allowed to dry out. Examine fre- 
quently and sprinkle the sawdust a few 
times if necessary to keep moist. If the 
room is warm and the sawdust is kept 
moist, the grafts will certainly begin to 
grow at least a month before they can 
be planted, which will injure them very 
greatly. 
Planting 
As soon as the ground will do to work 
in the spring select a place where the 
soil is moderately rich, but not extremely 
so, on which to plant the grafts. Plow 
the land deeply, and otherwise prepare 
as for a garden spot. The rows should be 
perfectly straight in order to facilitate 
close cultivation with the horse culti- 
vator. Use a line or wire for getting the 
rows straight. The rows should be four 
feet apart. The planting may be done 
by either of two methods. Where a large 
number of grafts are to be planted a 
Fig. 4. Planting Apple Grafts. 
underground. 
Use a dibber for this purpose as shown in the illustration. 
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF PRACTICAL HORTICULTURE 
furrow is opened with a turning plow. 
The grafts are then stood up along the 
vertical side and the earth thrown 
against them with a plow or by hand. 
Where only a few grafts are to be planted 
the other method is employed. This con- 
sists of making holes about eight inches 
deep with a wooden pole properly sharp- 
ened for the purpose. A long, round bar 
of iron is sometimes used, but is rather 
too heavy for convenience. In making 
the holes the pole should be carefully 
withdrawn from the ground with many 
side movements, so that the soil will not 
fall in. 
Plant the grafts deeply. After placing 
them in the holes or in the furrow there 
should be only one or two of the buds 
of the scion left above ground. This 
makes it necessary that the ground 
should have been plowed deeply. The 
most important operation of all in plant- 
ing is to be certain to press the soil up 
closely against the roots of the grafts. 
The soil must be pressed tightly against all parts 
The 
second graft from the left hand side is improperly planted, as there is a large air 
space at the bottom. 
with the soil throughout. 
The last one on the right is correctly planted—in contact 
