Huxley, lTowa 
Pes Kho ING Meee ore Le OES 
Purchasers of Nut frees should be prepared to plant the trees 
ag soon as received. If cona@itions will not permit planting on 
arrival, by no means leave them set in the package, but remove 
form package and at all times avoid exposure of roots to air, wind 
and suishine.e Sun and wind are very harmful to the roots. Dig 
a trench and heal in the trees until they can be planted. In 
planting, ose holes plenty large, so that the roots cen be placed 
in their natural position. Put pulverized top soil in bottom of 
hole, use peat soil in the bottom if aveiiable, as it is fine and 
will pack well and hold moisture. Avoid Leaving air pockets when 
planting, as this will ary out the soil. Plant the trees one to 
one-half inches deeper than they were in tne nursery sigue sure 
to ®irm soil well, starting fron bottom of hols. A baseball bat 
is a good tamping tool. Leave soil sloaping sently towards tree 
for a distance of about five feet each way. This will help eather 
more rain water. Next fill in with plenty of mulch material, 
such as straw, grass, lawn rakings, cobs, etc. Make this mulch 
six inches or more deep and out a distance of avout five feet each: 
way, If season of planting becomes dry, stert watering before 
trees shown siens of suffering for then it is too late. Do not 
use a small amount of water each evening. Better to water once a 
week, but give a good soaking when you do it. Pour the water 
theough the mulch as the depression around the trees wilh put it 
where it belongs. A good mulching will usually hold enough 
moisture, that watering will not be necessary, except in rare cases. 
Do not use water while planting. If the soil is dry when plant- 
ing, pour water through mulch afterwards. After trees are plant- 
ed, wrap each one in newspaper and leave it on until growth starts 
to prevent drying out before the roots get into action. 
Nut trees love lime. ‘While there is not yet any formula worked 
out as to the amount of ground lime-stone to be used, it has been 
found where native Black Walnut trees grow and perform well, the 
soil has lime rockstone beds, showing that lime-stone can hardly 
be overdone. So lots say for the present mix a good one-half 
gallon of sround limcstone with the soil for each tree when plant- 
ing, and add more in snereased amounts about every two years or 
so. Nut trees are gross feedcors and should be fed for best re- 
sults with fertilizer. As the lime produces neutral soil, which 
is favorable to nut trecs, 4 fertilizer containing very Nie re cg 
if any, acid should bs used in order to work with the lime and 
not erainst it. As far as lI know, no one has carried on any e¢x- 
periments to determine the proper amounts to be used. Nitrate 
of scda ‘a packing house by-product) is a good fertilizer. Amount 
to he used dspends on the soil neeas. Using commerical fertilizer 
T would cstimave about one-fourth pound per inch of tree trunk, 
annuelly. Cow manure is the best of barnyard manures. 
Tf you have two tress and only time to plant one right, better 
plant only the one, and throw the other away than to half-way plant 
the two and loose both, for ons living tree is worth more than tvo 
Gead. When one considers the length of life of a nut tree and the 
value of its life's production, it can casily be secon how well the 
owner can afford to give a littlo extra time and care in planting. 
