250 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



The expense will be considerable, and the result will be less satisfactory 

 than when the trees are set upon land that is naturally drained. While 

 it will be advisable and even necessary to drain such land, in case cir- 

 cumstances make it desirable that it be used for an apple orchard, it 

 will generally be preferable, if one is to plant a commercial orchard, to 

 choose a location that has good natural drainage. 



PREPARATION OF THE LAND. 



At the time of planting, the land should be in good tilth and well sup- 

 plied with plant food. As a rule, in case the land needs to be artificially 

 fertilized, it is preferable to apply the manure to a previous crop, such as 

 corn or potatoes; or, if there is no particular hurry, if the land can be 

 seeded to clover and the sod turned under, it will be in the best possible 

 condition for planting. 



The plowing should be deep, and if there is a stiff subsoil near the sur- 

 face it will pay to use a subsoil plow along the lines of the rows, although, 

 as noted above, it is not advisable to use this kind of soil for a commer- 

 cial apple orchard. Having brought the land into a good condition for 

 planting, it is ready for the trees. 



SELECTION OF TREES. 



The success or failure of the orchard will depend largely upon the vari- 

 eties and the character of the trees purchased. 



While many experienced orchardists wisely prefer a strong one-year 

 tree, to anything that is older, as it enables them to form the head at the 

 height and in the manner they prefer, for the ordinary planter a somewhat 

 larger size is to be commended. As a rule the two-year, medium, four to 

 five feet, five eighths to three quarter inch trees will do as well, or better, 

 than those of a larger size, and the cost and expense for boxing, freight, 

 and planting will be materially less than for the three or four-year-old 

 trees that some planters insist upon having. The No. 1, two year trees, 

 graded as five to seven feet, three quarter inch and upward, are as a rule 

 not objectionably large. 



While it is desirable to obtain trees at a reasonable price, cheapness 

 should not be the only consideration. When buying trees of the above- 

 mentioned sizes, care should be taken that the nurseryman does not work 

 off cull trees that are three or four years old. By supplying such trees 

 and, even worse, if he is unscrupulous, substituting worthless varieties, a 

 nurseryman or tree dealer is often able to make a low price that will tempt 

 the purchaser, who in the end will find that the trees would have been 

 dear as a gift. The fact that a healthy tree of a good variety may in good 

 seasons return a crop worth from ten to twenty or more dollars, while the 

 crop from a poor tree, even if it lives to come to maturity, may not be 

 worth gathering, should show every one that too great care can not be 

 taken in selecting the varieties and trees, when planting an orchard. 



In the present days of low prices, trees for an orchard can be obtained 

 for a comparatively small sum. If only a few trees are needed, it may be 

 well to secure them from a local agent, whose stock came from a responsi- 

 ble nursery, as the cost for packing and express upon a small bundle might 

 be more than his commission, but if from one hundred to five hundred 

 trees are needed it will be better to get them directly from a nursery. 



