636 Agricultural Exteriment Station, Ithaca, N. Y. 



growth of the trees. The reason, in my opinion, that the land will 

 not produce a second lot of good trees is that we manage to get the 

 most of the tree-growing properties out of the soil in the first crop. 



S. D. WILLAED. 



For the culture of pear and plum trees we prefer a strong clay- 

 loam, thoroughly underdrained and fertilized sutiiciently to grow a 

 first-class crop of wheat or corn. 



For apples we prefer a more loamy soil, prepared in a similar 

 manner to above. 



Peach and cherry will thrive on a much lighter soil. 



We do not approve of planting one crop of nursery trees imme- 

 diately after another, for the reason that the crop exhausts the soil 

 of those elements that are peculiarly requisite for the growth of that 

 particular kind of plant. We, however, frequently follow a plant- 

 ing with that of some other kind of plant and with good success we 

 think ; for example, we plant cherries after pears and peaches after 

 apples. 



feMITHS & POWELL CO. 



In reply to your inquiry as to best land for growing nursery stock 

 we will be brief as possible. 



{a) Apples. — (1) Upland clay loams, that is as high up as you find 

 clay. (2) Heavy sand loam. (3) Gravelly soils that contain more 

 soil than stones. 



ih) Plimas. — Clay loam very rich for years with harnyard ma- 

 nures ', character of soil not so important as richness and thorough 

 drainage. 



(c) Pears. — The best standard pears are produced on soils mostly 

 clay with clay subsoil, thoroughly underdrained. 



(c?) Peaches. — A natural soil for a block of peaches is a chestnut 

 upland, i. e., a soil where the American sweet chestnut is indige- 

 nous ; high, sandy soils, if rich from a farmer's standpoint, will 

 do well. 



For a, h and c we select lands that can be easily drained, a natural 

 filope, good fall, ditch 2| feet deep, 2 rods apart ; plow in August or 

 September; rot all sods; then plow before cold weather, prior to 

 spring planting, 12 inches deep. 



Suitable land, treated thus and followed up with thorough culti- 

 vation will give satisfactory growth to trees, always excepting such 

 risks as hail, winter killing, aphides, fungi, etc. 



The above contemplates ordinarily good land without fertilizing, 

 Ijut we should use stable manures for plums and apples, and depend 

 on our good subsoil and thorough cultivation for a growth of pears. 



We have blocks of apples raised as a second and a third crop by 

 using 25 to 30 bushels of wood ashes and lime (air slacked, the waste 

 from lime kilns). Apple wood always improves with wood ashes 

 and lime, even on limestone lands. 



