260 STATE HORTICULTURAL. SOCIETY. 



soil light to act as a mulch and prevent evaporation. As a rule the soil 

 about the trees should be left level, although, in spring planting, if the 

 land is rolling, a slight depression may be formed vs'hich will catch the 

 water that would otherwise run off. 



In handling the trees care should be taken that they are not exposed for 

 any length of time to the action of the sun or wind, and while planting it 

 will be desirable to heel-in the trees until needed, by covering the roots 

 with soil, unless canvas or other coverings are used.j 



WATERING THE TREES. 



If the soil is fairly moist it will not be necessary to apply water to the 

 trees at the time of planting, but if a drouth prevails the use of water 

 will generally be desirable. Even though the soil is fairly moist, water 

 will often make the trees more likely to start into growth. To use water 

 in transplanting trees to the best advantage, it is well to cover the 

 roots as recommended above and then fill up the hole with the water. As 

 soon as it has soaked in, the remainder of the soil should be placed in the 

 hole. If at any time it becomes desirable to add more water, it is a good 

 plan to scrape away the soil from around the trees so as to form a basin 

 from four to eight feet in diameter according to the size of the trees, and 

 into this from ten to forty gallons should bo turned, replacing the soil as 

 soun as the water has been taken up. 



FORMING THE HEAD. 



As soon as the trees have been planted they should be pruned and the 

 heads formed. When branched trees are used, the first thing is to 

 remove all surplus shoots, selecting the weaker ones and leaving four or five 

 of the others arranged at intervals along the stem. Beyond this it is not 

 necessary to go, but if the remaining shoots are long and slender it will 

 be well to head them in from one fourth to one half. The center shoot 

 ■hould be left considerably longer than the others, to grow upward and 

 develop other side shoots. A tree formed in this way, with its branches 

 given off at intervals from a central axis, is much less likely to break down 

 than when they start at the same height. 



When one-year trees without branches are used, it will only be necessary 

 to cut back the trees at the proper height for the branches to form. A 

 variety of opinion exists among fruitgrowers as to the proper height for 

 an apple tree, but as years go by it would seem as though the better fruit- 

 growers were becoming quite unanimous that it is a mistake to have very 

 high heads. The only exception to this rule is in sections where the snow- 

 fall is heavy and there is danger of the branches being broken down if 

 they are within three or four feet of the ground. 



While varieties with a spreading habit may require a greater height of 

 trunk, for the upright growers three feet is perhaps a fair height for the 

 lower branches, while some head even lower than this. 



Among the reasons for having low heads is that the branches can then 

 prevent the burning of the bark by the sun during hot weather, also that 

 the wind will be much less likely to turn the tree from the perpendicular. 

 It will also be easier to prune and spray the trees and gather the fruit than 

 when they have high trunks. About the only objection to low heads is 

 that they interfere with cultivation, but if^the side shoots uie puperly 

 pruned this need not be the case. 



