ORCHARD MANAGEMENT. 3 1 



most vital problem in apple growing as it applies to New Eng- 

 land. Orchards may be planted upon newly cleared timber 

 tracts, the trees being planted carefully among the stumps and 

 the stones. One portion of our orchard is located on such a 

 piece of land and the trees are growing finely. I may say that 

 they have been mulched heavily with stable fertilizer and are 

 dug about frequently during the growing season. Good nursery 

 trees are imperative. Buy of a good reliable dealer either at 

 home or abroad. Buy of one who raises his own trees for the 

 chances are thus better for grafting good healthy trees, true to 

 name and variety. Get two-year-old trees, straight, moderately 

 low headed, healthy and vigorous. A little money saved on 

 fruit trees is sometimes dearly spent. For varieties for winter 

 use I can suggest nothing better than the Baldwin, Spy, Green- 

 ing and King, and for fall. Wealthy, Duchess, Wolf River and 

 Mcintosh. Winter varieties should be planted at least 40 feet 

 between rows and 35 feet between trees. This will be found 

 fully near enough in twenty years if the orchard has the best 

 treatment. Early bearing varieties may be planted twenty-five 

 feet apart each way. Interplanting early sorts with standards 

 is entirely feasible when operations are conducted on a large 

 scale, but for the average farmer fruit grower the planting in 

 separate block is the most desirable method. The young trees 

 should be carefully planted, all broken and macerated roots 

 should be removed and the holes for the trees should be suffi- 

 ciently large so the newly planted tree may have its root system 

 extended in a perfectly normal manner. The upright on the 

 young tree should be cut off, likewise all lateral branches to 

 within two or three buds of the main stem. 



SECONDARY CARE OF A YOUNG ORCHARD. 



This secondary care consists in keeping the young trees prop- 

 erly shaped and heading back about one-third of the growth 

 each year as long as the upper branches may be comfortably 

 reached. The general form of a young tree should be almost 

 vase-shaped. The borers should be looked after sharply. They 

 must be dug out, either with a sharp knife or a flexible wire, or 

 with both. If mice or rabbits are present the young trees should 



