WEST MICHIGAN FRUITGROWERS' SOCIETY. 347 



carefully dug and the roots taken up, they are the best; but as dug by 

 machine they have no more roots than trees of medium size, and hence 

 the latter are preferable. 



Mr. LaFleur: There may be varying conditions in soil, making 

 marked difference in size of trees only a few feet apart; but the choice of 

 trees is as Mr. Hamilton stated: too many roots are cut off from the large 

 ones, making the medium the preferable size. 



Joseph Lannin preferred the larger trees. Trim the heads to corres- 

 pond with the amount of roots, and they will start sooner and continually 

 outstrip all others. 



O. Beebe would not object to the size of two-year-old trees; he never 

 saw any that were too large, but trees older than two years were not desir- 

 able. Eather than take such, he would, as j^roposed by Mr. Stoddard, buy 

 yearling trees, set out and cultivate like corn, and retransplant. 



A. S. Dyckman said Charles Downing, writing to him for a Hill's Chili 

 peach tree, asked for the smallest healthy tree he could furnish; and asked 

 if any one could give a reason for such a request. No one ventured one. 



Mr. LaFleuk: Choosing from two-year trees, take the largest you can 

 get; I thought Mr. Reid's question related to older trees. 



J. G. Ramsdell: The two-year rule is not so applicable to pears as 

 to apples. I have set three-year and four-year pears, and never had any 

 do better; but they must be well dug, not uprooted with a machine. These 

 matters are governed very largely by handling and care. 



Mr. Beebe: This discussion is based upon the average condition of 

 nursery stock, as we commonly receive it. The trees are not dug with 

 spades and we have to take them as we get them. 



W. H. HuELBUT : A tree that shows abnormal, forced growth, I do not 

 want at any age ; but trees well ripened and sound, that show fair, healthy 

 growth. 



J. N. Stearns: I prefer of all, a strong, healthy two-year-old, for 

 apples; of peach, a good medium size, one year from the bud. Circum- 

 stances have much to do with second-size peaches as rated. If they are 

 such because of dry weather, they are as good as any, liut if by crowding 

 in the row, or constitutional weakness, they are worthless. Buyers are to 

 blame for the sale of big trees. They demand them, and nurserymen 

 grow what is wanted. Mr. Stearns was also of the opinion that the aver- 

 age grower's desire to have oidy fine-looking trees ( not knowing that the 

 Greening and the Spy never look equally well ) is largely responsible for 

 the practice of substitution. As to June-budded peach trees, he knew but 

 little, having never grown any, but thought with another that roots in 

 June can not throw up as strong growth as when budding is delayed till 

 fall. In setting any sort of fruit tree, cu^ back severely, so as not to leave 

 branches longer than three inches — except that peaches should be cut 

 back to a whip stalk. 



W. H. Hurlbut: Does not the cutting back of the young peach trees 

 in June, being at the wrong season, do the damage? 



Mr. Hamilton: Undoubtedly that is what does the stunting of the 

 June-budded peach trees. 



J. B. Proctor of Caledonia said he agreed to nearly all that had been 

 said. Trees two and a half to four feet high are large enough. He had 

 just seen in Chicago some spring-budded trees from Alal^ama, and thought 

 the small size of such stock due to the state of the buds and the shock of 

 cutting off the tops at that season. 



