There are several important points to remember in starting a seed bed. It must be in a well-drained site, so that the seeds will not be under water or water-logged for any length of time. It should be in an open place where sunlight is plentiful, unless evergreens are being grown. Evergreens must be in half-shade the first season to avoid a condition known as "damping off." The top six inches of soil in the bed should be the best garden soil obtainable, the growth resulting from using good, clean soil, free from weed seeds, being worth the trouble of preparing it. By having the bed in two parts, with a cover that may be taken off, proper weeding can be done when necessary. The cover should always be replaced afterward, though, as rodents will sometimes attack the young shoots and the remainder of the seed kernel.
In the spring of the second season of growth, the young plants may be dug up and lined out in nursery rows. After two or three years more, they may be planted in permanent locations.
Chapter 13
TREE PLANTING METHODS
Since nut trees usually have deep, well-developed root systems of the taproot type, they are more difficult to transplant than such trees as plum, apple, elm or maple which have many small fibrous roots. Taproots have a long, main trunk like a parsnip, from which lateral roots branch. These roots are heavy and may extend deep into the ground even in trees only two or three years old. In moving such a tree, the lower part of the central taproot must, of course, be cut off, but as many of the side roots as possible are retained. Because such roots have no fibrous or hair-root system, their handling during transplantation necessarily differs from that of the ordinary shade or fruit tree.
If trees having a taproot system, such as the English walnut, black walnut, butternut, hickory or pecan, are received with bare roots, they should be treated in the following way: Immediately after the trees have been unpacked, their roots should be submerged in a barrel of water for several hours. After their thirst has been quenched, the roots should be dipped into a mixture of clay and water made to the consistency of thick paint. With a heavy coating of wet clay around them, the roots may then be wrapped in wet burlap sacks. They are now ready to be transported to their planting site.
Selecting a favorable location for nut trees is very important. They should never be planted at the bottom of a gulch or valley because, in such places, frost pockets may occur which will interfere with both blossoming in the spring and ripening of nuts in the fall. Nut trees grow best near the summit of a hill. Although such soils are difficult to plant in, stony soil or soil overlaid with limestone results in good growth. Shallow surface soil, underlaid with heavy clay, will usually slow down the growth of a young tree so that it remains dwarfed for many years. It is more satisfactory to have at least three feet of soil before clay is reached. If the soil is light and sandy, it will be improved by adding black dirt immediately around the roots of each tree.
As most nut trees ultimately grow to be very large, they should be planted at least forty feet apart. The hole dug to receive each tree should be wide and deep enough to accommodate the roots without bending or twisting them. If the excavated soil is of poor quality, it should be discarded, and good, rich soil brought in for setting the tree. Trees should not be planted too deeply. The collar of a tree, which is a discoloration of its trunk resulting from contact with the ground, indicates how much of the tree was previously underground. Although it is a good idea to plant so that this collar is a little lower than the surface to allow access to extra moisture, the actual planting depth should be about as it was previously in the nursery. All broken or damaged parts on the roots should be trimmed smoothly with pruning shears. Such clean cuts will send out new rootlets to replace the lost ones. After a tree has been set into the hole made for it, the soil, which should be thoroughly mixed with a quart of bone meal to increase its fertility, is replaced a little at a time. It must be packed very solidly about the roots with a rounded tamping stick to avoid leaving air pockets. I find it advisable to retamp the earth about each tree two or three times during the first year's growing season, to insure intimate contact between soil and roots.
Planting should be delayed if the soil is very wet. Trees will stay in good condition for several days, if the burlap sacks are kept moistened. Wet, soggy soil is certain to shrink away from the roots and leave air pockets which will, in time, kill the trees. If trees are transplanted during a very dry season, they should be thoroughly watered. To do this, remove several shovelfuls of dirt from the ground about a foot from the tree, being careful not to cut any roots. Fill this hole with water and after the water has seeped away, fill it two more times. The tree should receive about five gallons of water. Sprinkling with a hose does not suffice. If dry weather continues, each tree should be watered in this way every week.