Work of Planting. 



perceive, that the earth must be very fine to go in between 

 the roots, the spaces between some of which are very small. 

 To throw into the hole rough lumpy earth upon the roots 

 of such a tree is not only not to do it justice, but it is to 

 obtain almost an assurance of its failure. 



76, Therefore, when you have made your hole, which 

 ought always to be twice as wide in every direction as the 

 extreme width of the mass of root?, one man ought to hold 

 the tree erect in tlie hole, the bottom ground of which 

 ought to be well and finely broken with a spade, while 

 another man ought to break the ground just taken out of 

 the hole, so as to make it very fine, and to let it fall from 

 his spade in that fine state down upon the roots, while the 

 other man ought to keep shaking the tree up and down, 

 that the fine earth may run into and fill up all the cavities. 

 When the hole is pretty nearly filled in this way, the earth 

 should be pressed gently with the foot, beginning, not close 

 to the stem of the tree, but round the outside of the hole, 

 and the pressure should be less and less violent as you 

 approach the stem of the tree. When this is done, the tree 

 is safely planted ; and you may then fill uj) the hole with 

 the remainder of the earth, which was taken out of it, 

 fijrming, at the close, a sort of little dish a foot or fifteen 

 inches in diameter round about the tree, making the earth 

 fine at the top of this dish, and taking particular pains to 

 make the earth smooth, and to make it very close and 

 compact round the stem of the tree. Then, the wet weather 

 cannot come too soon ; but, if it should not come for 

 months, even in March, April and May, the tree is safe : 

 the air, dry and piercing as it may be, and the sun, scorch- 

 ing as it may happen to be, will do no injury to roots pro- 

 tected hy finely broken earth, which leaves no hollows for 

 it to find its way through. Mr. Tull proved, by numerous 



