Chap. 30.] 
TEAI^SPLANTINa OPERATIONS. 
487 
and the soil be well loosened. When t on pnt the cutting in the 
ground, press it down with the foot only. If there is any 
difficulty in making it descend, drive it down with a mallet or 
the handle of the dibble, but be careful not to break the bark 
in doing so. Take care, too, not to make a hole first with the 
dibble, for the slip will have the better chance of surviving the 
other way. When the slip is three years old, due care must be 
taken to observe the direction in which each side of tlie bark is 
situate. If you are planting in holes or furrows, you must 
put in the cuttings by threes, but be careful to keep them 
separate. Above ground, however, they should not be more 
than four fingers distant from one another, and each of them 
must have a bud or eye above ground. In taking up the olive 
for transplanting, you must use the greatest caution, and see 
that there is as much earth left about the roots as possible. 
When you have covered the roots well up, tread down the 
earth with the foot, so that nothing may injure the plant." 
CHAP. 30. TKANSPLAISTTING OPERATIONS AS DISTRIBUTED THROUGH- 
OUT THE VARIOUS SEASONS OP THE YEAR. 
If the enquiry is made what is the proper season for plant- 
ing the olive, my answer will be, where the soil is dry, at 
seed-time ; where it is rich, in spring." The following is the 
advice given by Cato^^ on the subject : Begin pruning your 
olive-yard fifteen days before the vernal equinox ; from that 
period for forty days will be a good time for doing so. In 
pruning, adopt the following rules : when the ground is ex- 
tremely productive, remove all the dry branches or such as 
may have been broken by the wind ; where it is not so pro- 
lific, you must cut away still more, then tie them well up, 
and remove all tangled branches, so as to lighten the roots. 
In autumn clear away the roots of the olive, and then manure 
them. The man who labours most assiduously and most 
earnestly will remove the very smallest fibres that are attached 
to the roots. If, however, he hoes negligently, the roots will 
soon appear again above ground, and become thicker than 
ever ; the consequence of which will be, that the vigour of the 
tree will be expended in the roots.'' 
We have already stated, when speaking on the subject of 
*3 De Ee Rust. 44. The rules here given are still very generally ob- 
served. 
