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ploughed close up to the trees. Some of them get bruised and barked, and 

 others broken down by the team ; to avoid which the land is seeded to grass. 

 Continued cropping has exhausted the soil, the meadow renders it dry and com- 

 pact — the trees begin to look sorri/, and some die — when the owner gravely 

 concludes that " this is no fruit country," the cattle are turned in, and he is soon 

 rid of his unsightly orchard. 



Trees for transplanting in orchards should not be very large. Thrifty trees 

 three or four years fi-om the graft are safest. (The writer has had the best 

 success with those but two or three years old.) Some set out at two years 

 growth, from root graft the spring of 1847, have borne fruit the two past seasons. 

 One of them lias borne its third crop. All of them have made rapid strong 

 growth, and are now large enough to bear from a peck to a bushel each. They 

 should be taken up carefully with as many roots as possible. If they are to be 

 out of the ground more than a few hours, the roots should be coated with mlid 

 (grouted) ; they now require a pretty severe pruning to restore a balance between 

 the top and shortened roots. When arrived at the place of planting, the roots 

 should be covered with earth to prevent further drying. This done, you are now 

 ready to set out. If the places are not already prepared, that must now be done 

 by taking out and removing the subsoil to the depth of at least eighteen inches, 

 and not less than two feet each way from the j^oint where the tree is to stand, 

 the surface soil removed may now be replaced in the bottom of the hole thus 

 made, filling it half, or two-thirds full. Now set the tree in the center, and fill 

 the space around the tree with rich surface or alluvial soil, filling the outside of 

 the space around the tree until the roots are nearly covered — then dash among 

 the roots a pail of water — fill immediately to the level of the surrounding sur- 

 face — now walk around the tree pressing down the soil, not stamping — throw on 

 three or four inches more of alluvial over the whole space, and the work is done. 



After-culture must be attended to by those who expect to raise a good orchard, 

 why should not a crop of apple trees receive the same attention as any other 

 crop ? Corn, perhaps, has no equal as a crop in the young orchard. Each tree 

 should be allowed to fill the space of one hill of corn. East, potatoes and root 

 crops are recommended; trees there need all the sun they can get — hence the 

 practice. Here we have often too much burning hot sun, especially in July and 

 August, causing "bark blight" on the naked trunks of young trees, which often 

 destroys them the first year or two after planting. This evil may be avoided 

 without the shade given by the corn crop, after the second year, if the trees 

 are let alone, that is, not trimmed up. 



But how can we hope to induce farmers to cease trimming up their young 

 trees at once; a system of operations so contrary to all their pre -education and 

 practice on the subject, can hardly be expe<"ted to meet with thoir approbation. 



