170 
planting-board and hold the trees. The 
man or boy who operates the planting- 
board after adjusting the stakes for the 
first hole, goes on to the second, adjusts 
a second pair of guide-stakes, returns with 
the board to the first hole, allows the 
other boy to locate the tree, and then he 
pulls up the guidestakes and takes them 
with the board to the third tree-stake. 
While he is back at the first tree the hole 
is being dug at the second position and 
by the time he sets the guidestakes for 
the third position it will be time to locate 
the tree in the second position. The boy 
who holds the tree while it is being 
planted gives it a shake with an up-and- 
down motion to get the soil scattered 
among the roots, and when about half 
the soil is in, he firms it with his feet. 
He then goes after another tree and 
leaves the man who does the filling in to 
give the final treading and to leave a 
loose layer of soil on the surface. The 
holes are dug just large enough to ac- 
commodate the roots. Under the best 
conditions, that is, where there are few 
stones and where there is nothing to 
impede the progress of the workmen an- 
other boy may be advantageously used to 
bring the trees as they are required. If 
two gangs are working on different rows, 
one boy may supply trees to both gangs. 
The important point about planting is 
to get fine moist soil firmly packed 
around the roots so as to avoid large air 
spaces. No fertilizer should be put into 
the holes when the tree is planted. It is 
not well to plant when the soil is wet, 
for handling it in this condition spoils 
its physical properties, and a baked soil 
is the result. 
Depth 
Apple trees should be planted at about 
the same depth as they stood in the nurs- 
ery row or probably one or two inches 
deeper. 
C. D. Jarvis, 
Storrs, Conn. 
Four-Man Squad 
Four men make an effective squad. One 
man prunes and distributes the trees. 
Another places the tree in proper position 
by sighting on the stakes in both direc- 
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF PRACTICAL HORTICULTURE 
tions, and compacts the soil aiound the 
roots of the trees as it is filled in by the 
two shovellers. Their duties are to re. 
move whatever soil may be necessary for 
the reception of the tree ioots and to 
shovel the soil back in a1ound the tree 
The surface soil should be placed in eon- 
tact with the roots rather than the sup- 
soil. Given a man who can sight accur 
ately, the alignment of the trees in both 
directions will be close enough for a}} 
practical purposes. 
WILLIAM STUART, 
Burlington, Vt 
Depth 
How deep to plant a tree is another 
question that comes up every once in a 
while. Many apple growers claim that 
the trees planted should not be any deep- 
er than they were in the nursery row. 
Others pay no attention to this idea. Ac- 
cording to results at the station along 
this line there is no material difference in 
the growth of trees that are planted at 
the depth that they were in the nursery 
row and trees that have been planted for 
two or three or even six inches deeper 
In a general way we will say that trees 
may be planted two or three inches deep- 
er than they were in the nursery row if 
desired. 
Irrigation 
Immediately after the trees have been 
transplanted they should be irrigated. If 
the trees have been planted in the small 
trench, as suggested below, they can be 
irrigated through it. If they have not 
been so transplanted they will have to 
be flooded. Where water is expensive and 
where it is desirable not to irrigate the 
middles between the trees the best way 
is to plow a trench about a foot or two 
wide and plant the trees in the trench and 
irrigate them from it. This method we 
find very economical and very easy. It 
is a good idea to examine the trees about 
a week after they have been irrigated the 
first time, as sometimes the soil settles 
quite a good deal and some of the roots 
may be exposed to the air. 
FABIAN GARCIA, 
Santa Fe, N. M. 
