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my opinion, a very doubtful advantage, as the great fault of most growers is to 
plant far too close together as it is. To plant in squares, lay the land off in 
straight lines parallel with each other, and at an equal distance apart, and cross. 
these lines with other lines at right angles to them, the cross lines being also 
parallel to each other and of an equal distance apart to the lines first laid off; 
the point where the lines cross is the place to plant the tree. In laying out an 
orchard, the first thing is to provide yourself with a planting wire, which ma 
be of any desired length up to 500 feet, as that is about the greatest lengt 
that one can work satisfactorily. It is made as follows :— 
Take a length of No. 10 or No. 12 white wire—a soft tough wire is best— 
and fasten a ring of 43-inch round iron, 4 inches inside diameter, to one end 0 
it. Place this ring over an iron bar or stake firmly fixed into the ground, and 
run out a few feet more wire than is required. Fasten the loose end of the 
wire securely to a fencing-bar, fix the bar firmly in the ground, and strain 
tight. Now measure the strained wire carefully, starting from the end with 
the ring on, and place marks on the wire at the distance apart you wish to 
plant your trees or vines, taking care that the distance from the outside 
of the ring to the first mark is exactly the same as that between any 
two marks on the line. When the desired number of marks has been 
put on, then bend on another ring similar to the first at the same distance from 
the last mark as the first ring is from the first mark, and the planting wire is 
completed. ‘To make the marks on the planting wire, bend a piece of No. 20 
copper wire round the white wire, and solder it in place. If required for 
planting trees and vines, the same wire may answer both purposes; marks, 82] 
an inch in length, being used for the trees, and shorter marks, say half-an-in 
being used for the rows of vines that would come between the rows of trees} 
thus, say it is desirable to plant trees at 20 feet apart, and vines at 10 feet 
apart, then inch marks are placed at every 20 feet, and half-inch marks ab 
every intermediate 10 feet. Marks made in this manner are easily seen—d0 
not shift, and do not wear out. A planting wire made in this manner will last 
for years with ordinary care, and, if kept free from kinks, seldom breaks. Its 
use saves a great deal of time, and ensures accurate planting. When laying 
out the orchard, select the longest side as a base line and stretch your planting 
line along it, putting in stakes at each mark on the wire. At each end of your 
base line run a line exactly at right angles to the base line and the whole — 
width of the land to be planted, staking these side lines in the same manner a8 _ 
the base line. In planting large orchards, a theodolite is very handy for laying 
off the right angles correctly; but for small orchards you can get your right 
angles practically correct, if you use extreme care, by the same means that 4 
bricklayer uses to set his walls out straight and square. The length of the 
sides of a right-angle triangle are always in the ratio of three, four, and five; 
therefore, if you want to lay off a line at right angles to any point on a bas? 
line, you can do so by means of an ordinary tape measure, as shown in the — 
following drawing :— 
IP) A Bis the base line, and you wish to lay off a line 
at A—that is at right angles to A B. You place 
small peg in the ground at A, and measure 30 links 
along the base line A.B to the point O, which you 
mark with another small peg. You next hold one end 
of the tape at A, get a second person to hold the 
90th link-mark on the tape at O, and let a third person 
take the 40th link on the tape, and walk back til] the 
tape tightens equally from both ends, and this spot 
D is exactly at right angles to A on the base line A B. 
Having run and — 
staked your base line 
B and the two end lines 
aD © at right angles to it, 
40 
