The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-11-09
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PLANTING AN ORCHARD.


orchard in good shape on level ground,
or nearly level, must be an easy task.
All you have to do is to set stakes at
regular distances, to be ascertained by
measurement, dig the holes there and
put in the trees. It looks easy. par
ticularly to the new beginner in orchard
work, but if he has the ambition to see
the rows straight as an arrow" and
to stand in line in all directions, he
will be wiser after one or two trials.
1t is easy if one begins right, goes slow
and sees that each tree is in exactly
the right place before he leaves it.
But if the planter or his assistants
grow a trifle careless and allow a tree
here and there to get out of line an
inch or two, particularly in the early
part of the work, he will soon reach a
different conclusion, as 1 did at my
first venture.
Planting an orchard implies that the
orchard is to cover considerable space.
a few acres at least, and not merely a
few short rows. An apple or pear or
chard is to stand from so to 100 years.
If well cared for, and the planter should
be as careful in the various steps as if
he were building a dwelling house in
which to live the balance of his life,
and his children, or some of them.
after he is gone. He should begin by
making an exact measurement of the
land, and then a calculation as to the
number of trees required at the de-
sired distance apart. If the orchard is
for apples about two rods will do
though some will recommend forty feet
as better-and it is better when the
pruning is likely to be Indifferent or
none at all. But if well pruned from
the start for six or seven years, and
certainly on alternate years after that
two rods will answer very well in
deed. In marking out, the measuring
should be done with a pole-say one
rod long-and plainly marked with feet
and inches. The tape line is delusive
and will surely bring the man to grief
who uses il before he is far advanced
in the work. 1t shrinks in wet weather
and expands in dry. it requires two
persons to handle it, and ii soon gets
dirty and wears out. The pole has no
Shrinkage to tor none that is per-
ceptible-one man can handle it, and
accidentally treading on it or tumbling
it about harms it but little. The tape
line, or any cord for measurement, will
be sure to get the planter astray be-
fore he does much work, but the care
fully-marked pole takes no note of the
weather, and will serve accurately if
wisely used. In addition, a long and
small rope or cord, as long as the row.
is needed.
Begin with the two outside rows and
use the greatest possible care to get
them right before the planter starts
On the intermediate rows. But to get
planted see that the angle forming the
boundary of the orchard plot at each
corner is a right angle. If this is neg
lected the owner will soon rue it. A
mason in laying d cellar wall is sure to
have the corners right angles, and the
carpenter does the same as to the
frame. If the man intrusted with lay
ing out the work makes his angles
less or greater than q right angle,
there will in most cases be some Wig
orous profanity when the error of the
'blockhead'' is discovered; so in the
angles of an orchard, if you want the
rows straight in all directions, and to
do the work but once, be sure to have
right-angled corners; and if the planter
doesn't know what a right angle is he
should stop all other work and find
out. If, after that, errors are made in
measurement they are easy, compare
lively, TO correct. But if that one item
of care is neglected or guessed at, and
the planter finds, when three or four
rows are planted, that his trees per-
sistently come wrong" he must either
do most of the work over or confess to
a 'botch" visible to every man or
woman with a straight eye. An orchard
with trees visibly out of line is mon
strosity to a man of taste whenever he
sees it, ana hateful to the man who
works it.
With the outside rows just as they
should be, the most difficult work is
done. The rest is little more than so
much manual labor. Use the measur-
ing pole constantly, but do not trust
implicitly to it.
AS each tree is set in the hole dug
for it. someone with the all-essential
straight eye" should sight it from
the most distant outer row. No matter
if the measuring pole indicates another
place for it by al inch or more, be
sure to plant it so that il stands in line
with the other rows. Little Unequal
tiles on the surface will sometimes
cause discrepancy before one is
aware of it, or the man doing the work
and holding the tree may be careless