12 DYNAMITING 
An exception to this is on steep hill lands, which are apt to wash badly. 
The usual rule is to plow as deep as possible. You can plow the ground an 
inch deeper than it has ever been plowed before, without injuring it. 
Where the subsoil is sandy or loamy, you can plow even deeper. 
In the nursery work we have plowed 16 inches deep with a Spauld- 
ing deep tilling machine, bringing up 10 inches of subsoil that had never 
been plowed before, and it did not injure the field in any way. How- 
ever, the subsoil was very much like the top soil, and the Spaulding ma- 
chine mixes the top soil and the subsoil thoroughly, and does not leave 
a lot of the subsoil on top of the ground the way the ordinary turning 
plow does. 
It is often advisable to plow again in the spring, as it improves the 
tilth of the soil. Discing sod land before plowing breaks up the lumps of 
sod and mixes them with the soil so they will rot quicker. 
Avoid deep furrows, unless they are especially needed for surface 
drainage. This can be done, beginning with a line running through the 
center of the field, turning all furrows inward. 
Alfalfa land should also be plowed twice before it is planted to trees. 
In the late summer it should be plowed about 2 inches deep with a plow 
which has a sharp share, which will cut the alfalfa just below the crown. 
The furrow should be turned over so that the crowns will be exposed to 
the sun and killed, avoiding sprouts and trouble later on. 
After plowing, the ground should be very thoroughly worked with a 
disc harrow, and then gone over several times with either a spike-tooth 
or a spring-tooth harrow, so that all the clods will be broken up. Then 
smooth it over with a plank drag. 
Raw land, in the arid sections of the West, should be leveled up 
before it is plowed, and, if it has never been irrigated, it should be thor- 
oughly soaked, because land of this type often settles so that it is impos- 
sible to irrigate until it is leveled again. 
In the East, it is often advisable to level new ground before it is 
plowed in order to get rid of the small holes in which water might 
stand. 
Subsoiling is sometimes advisable on marly subsoils or where there 
is a hard pan. However, it is seldom necessary. 
Dvnamitinc Dynamiting is also sometimes advisable where the sub- 
^ ° soil is either stiff clay or contains a great deal of hard 
gravel which will not let the tree roots through. Dynamiting must never 
be done when the subsoil is wet, as it injures the soil in the same way 
as plowing injures a wet top soil. _ 
• Make a hole with a crowbar where the tree is to be set. The charge 
of dynamite should be put down deei> enough to break up the subsoil, 
usually 3 to 4 feet. As a rule, half a stick of dynamite is sufficient. 
It is not advisable to blow out a hole, but simply to break up the 
subsoil. A 25 per cent dynamite, which is slow-acting, is better than a 
quicker-acting dynamite used for blasting rocks. 
If you have not had experience with handhng dynamite, write the 
DuPont Powder Company, Wilmington, Delaware, and ask for their 
books. . , , 
Caution: When setting trees in freshly dynamited holes, see that no 
"air-pockets" are left, as they will cause the roots of the tree to dry out. 
It is easy to locate such holes by shoving an iron bar into the ground. 
Lavinc Off '^^^ ^^"^ should be laid off as soon as the ground has 
.-.^ J J been prepared for planting. The tree rows should be 
tne i/ana straight. It not only looks better, but makes the care of 
the orchard easier. Once the trees are set, you can not straighten out the 
rows. If this is your first orchard, it is advisable to set a stake where 
every tree is to go, so that you can sight down each row and see that 
they arc all straight and true. 
