
Protect the Roots 
Never allow the roots of the trees to become dry or exposed to 
the atmosphere for any length of time from the time they reach you 
until they are set in the ground. 
Wet the bundle just as soon as you can and if not ready to set out 
at once, dig a hole and put the roots in and cover up well. Place in a 
shady place if possible. 
Set your trees at once upon arrival or heel-in promptly as above. 
Plant as Deep as in the Nursery 
Set the tree about the same depth it stood in the nursery. 
Fill in the hole with the best top soil, packing the dirt well around 
the roots, especially the tap root. Keep the roots of the trees out 
straight in their natural position and do not bend them down by the tree. 
Dig Large Holes—Protect the Roots 
Have a large hole for your tree. Three feet wide and three feet 
deep will not be too large for pecans. Holes about 12 inches wide and 
one to two feet deep will do for fruit trees. 
Mix thoroughly with the soil to be used to fill in the hole a peck 
or half bushel of well-rotted manure or compost or some good guano, 
being very careful not to allow it to come into contact with the roots 
in ANY QUANTITY, for if it does it will scald them and do more 
harm than good. 
Fertilize Properly 
If you desire to plant on land rather poor in fertility, thoroughly 
mix with the soil two or three shovelsful of well-rotted compost when 
you plant the tree, or one or two pounds of bone meal. The best fer- 
tilizer after the tree is planted is to scatter manure around the trees. 
The more the better — one-half to one bushel to the tree, if possible. 
Do not bank it up around the tree, but scatter it around for two or 
three feet. When it rains the substance will be taken down to the roots. 
Put this around your trees in the late winter, if possible, so that the 
trees will be able to get a fine growth in the spring. When the trees 
are old enough to bear, use potash in some form — wood ashes will do. 
If the Soil ls Dry... 
If the soil is dry when the trees are set, it is a good idea to pour 
a bucketful of water to each tree when the hole is nearly filled, and 
then fill the hole completely up. 
Pour one bucketful of water to each tree once a week during very 
dry spells in summer. Make a basin-like hole at the base of the tree. 
Pour water and as soon as it is soaked in good, fill completely up with 
dry dirt. This holds in the moisture and also keeps the ground from 
baking. If you cannot pull soil back, covering the wet earth well, 
DO NOT water at all. Water poured on top of the ground and left 
this way does more harm than good, as it causes the earth about to 
bake and the tree to scald. 
Cultivate for four to six feet around each tree thoroughly all dur- 
ing the summer. Never let grass or weeds grow up around your trees. 
Keep the ground dug up and soft at all times. 
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