194 



ESTABLISHING THE ORCHARD 



scale, and proceed in accordance with the conditions that must 

 be met. Every step will then be thoroughly understood be- 

 fore the work begins. 



10. Planting the Trees. 



Procedure and Factors: 



(a) Preparing the hole. 

 (6) Handling the trees. 



(c) Setting the trees. 



(d) Subsequent treatment. 



(a) Preparing the Hole, Dig a hole that will accommo- 

 date the root system. Even though the rows have been plowed 

 out, the hole must be finished with a shovel. Make it corre- 

 spond to the root system of the tree and deep enough so that 

 the crook at the base of the tree will be just below the ground 

 level. If the subsoil is poor, dig the hole deep enough so that 

 some moist and fertile top soil may be put in the bottom. 

 Keep the top soil separate from the subsoil so that it may be 

 used about the roots. 



Dynamite may have value in orchard planting under some 

 conditions. It may break up a shallow layer of hardpan, 

 affording a better medium for the roots. If the hardpan is 

 deep, dynamite will merely make a pocket where water will 

 settle. It should not be used when the soil is wet and, in gen- 

 eral, the hole should be blasted well in advance of planting. 

 It will take nearly as much time after blasting to prepare the 

 hole for planting as it would have taken to dig the hole in the 

 first place. It is thus not a cheap method of putting trees 

 in the ground. In general, if the soil needs dynamiting to 

 make it suitable for tree planting, it would be better to plant 

 on a field that did not need such treatment. If dynamite is 

 used, follow the directions of the manufacturers. 



Recent experiments have shown that, by mixing a 12-quart 

 pail of wet pulverized peat moss with the soil which is placed 

 around the roots at planting time, a much more vigorous tree 

 results at the end of the second year's groT\^h. This material 



