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.