174 THE AMERICAN GARDENER, [Chap 



has come to settle the ground ; for, such fastening 

 would prevent it from sinking with the earth. The 

 earth would sink from it, and leave cavities about 

 the roots. 



288. When the trees are short, they will require 

 no stakes. They may be planted the second year 

 after budding, and the first after grafting ; and these 

 are the best times. If planted in the fall, the tree 

 should be shortened very early in the spring, and 

 in such a way as to answer the ends to be pointed 

 out more particularly when we come to speak of 

 pruning. 



289. If you plant in the spring, it should be as 

 early as the ground will bear moving; only, bear 

 in mind, that the ground must always be dry at top 

 when you plant. In this case, the new roots will 

 strike out almost immediately ; and as soon as the 

 buds begin to swell, shorten the head of the tree. 

 After a spring-planting, it may be necessary to 

 guard against drought ; and the best protection is 

 the laying of small stones of any sort round the 

 tree, so as to cover the area of a circle of three 

 feet in diameter, of which circle the stem of the tree 

 is the centre. This will keep the ground cooler 

 than any thing else that you can put upon it. 



290. As to the distances, at which trees ought to 

 be planted, that must depend on the sort of tree, 

 and on other circumstances. It will be seen by 

 looking at the plan of the garden [Plate 1,) that I 

 make provision for 70 trees, and for a row oi grape 

 vines extending the length of two of the plats. 

 The trees will have a space of 14 feet square each. 

 But, in orchards, the distances for apples and pears 

 must be much greater ; otherwise the trees will 

 soon run their branches into, and injure each 

 other. 



