The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-11-02

Plow the land and fit it well. AS all
orchards should be put into cultivated
crops for the first two years, at least,
it will generally be found advisable to
I pillow the entire area before the orchard
is set, rather than to pillow strips where
the trees are to go; for the land can
then be shaped better with reference
to surface drainage and general con-
venience. The trees should be set
neither in dead burrows nor back fur
rows. Level culture should generally
be adopted from the start, unless it is
necessary TO displace surface water
and in that case it may be questioned
if the land is fit for an orchard. In all
ordinary soils, holes must be dug by
hand for the tree fruits. Flowing out
of deep burrows in the line of the rows
may lessen the digging and aid in get
ting the trees in line. The hole should
be dug broad and ample, and the hard
er the soil the larger ought the hole TO
be, for in that case the loose dirt which
is filled in must give the trees its start.
In loose and deep soils, the hole need
be no larger than the spread of the
roots. Chop up the soil in the bottom
of the hole, or throw in a, few shovel
fulS of loose surface earth. The tree
should be set an inch or two deeper
than it stood in the nursery, for the
loose earth will settle and wash away
in the course of the season, even if it
is we'll packed when the tree is set
Dwarf pears should be set from three
to six inches below the bud. The roots
are trimmed, as is explained further
on. Every care must be exercised to
get the soil thoroughly firmed in about
the rOotS-Which are Strengthened out
in approximately their natural position
and especially under the crown of
fork of the roots, in order that no air
INr 1Af+
dirt can be best placed by lingering it
in, moving the tree gently up and down
at the same time. Once or twice in the
progress of filling the hole, the earth
should be stamped down. Fill the hole
full, to carry off surface water. but be
careful that no hollows are left close
about the tree into which water can set
tie especially when planting in the fall
Stamp the earth very firmly about the
tree before leaving it, for the double
purpose of retaining moisture and of
hoiiing tie tree against winds All
this opera ton of tree planting can pro-
coed to perfection only when the earth
is Cry enough to crumble. Trees can
not be well planted in wet and sticky
SOL.
If the trees are set according to these
directions and the tops are cut back,
as explained further on, there will
rarely be any necessity for stalking
and tying the trees 20 keep them
plumb.
E1ulches of straw or manure are
sometimes advised for newly-set trees.
For trees planted late in the spring
and upon droughty soils, a light mulch
about the tree may be advised, but in
other cases it is not. If mulches are
applied to fall-planted trees, care must
be taken to tramp them down we'll, or
they may become a nesting place for
mice, which will girdle the trees if
there are heavy SHOWS. There are
those who favor placing a forkful Of
manure in the bottom of the hole, but
this is practice of doubtful value,
and, at ell events, the manure should
be we'll mixed with the soil to prevent
drying up.-By Prof. l.. H. Bailey of
Cornell Station.