With very sandy soil, on the other hand, if the natural drainage is good, holes can be dug, and furthermore by burying the roots 8-9 inches or so down they are kept cooler.

Care must be taken however not to bury the union of the ’stock and scion’. But once again, it is the surface dressings of compost-grass mowings-or old well-rotted dung, which will provide the mulch needed and so ensure that the tree from the start grows as it should. Generally speaking, it is a mistake to dig compost or dung into the soil before planting trees, for this not only makes it difficult to get the roots properly firmed, but it also puts the organic matter in the place where it isn’t really needed at that time.

The larger holes or tunnels in the soil are made by the earthworms, and these will frequently penetrate to a depth of 6 feet or more. Roots will actually go down these worm-holes, which in themselves enable the air and water, to circulate easily.

Twice in the year, i.e. in January and again in August, a fish manure with a 6 per cent potash content is applied along the rows over the grass mowings, at 4 oz. to the yard run.

It is possible therefore, in a private garden, to take extra trouble and to provide the right conditions for the roots of the trees-at any rate in its early stages. I have known it necessary in the case of a very heavy clay soil to ask the gardener to plant the tree on the surface of the ground and then to mound some soil around the roots. Such surface planting gives the tree a good start. If it were planted in a hole this would quickly fill up with water in the winter, and the roots would be killed.

This surface planting, coupled with surface feeding and surface mulching, has paid dividends again and again.