State Agricultural Society. 453 



after transplanting them to the orchard. The proper planting of trees 

 is, in my judgment, by far the most important step in connection with 

 profitable fruit culture; ami yet, so far as my observation extends, it 

 seems to be the least considered. Whether we do not understand the 

 great strain upon the vitality of a tree in being transplanted, or whether 

 we cannot comprehend that anything suffers that does not cry out with 

 pain, is a matter that everyone must decide for himself. Had I never 

 been guilty of the same folly myself, it would now, with my present 

 ideas, puzzle me very much to conjecture the motive which could prompt 

 such an utter disregard of a subject pregnant with such important 

 results. 



I had planted a great many thousand trees for myself before I fully 

 realized the great loss I must necessarily sustain in consequence of my 

 imperfect work; but I assure you I have not recently been guilty of such 

 folly. If I err at all now, it will be on the other .side, for I can hardly 

 conceive it possible to bestow too much labor and care in planting trees. 

 I will not now permit a tree of any kind to be planted on my grounds 

 until the hole has been dug from four to five feet in depth, and at least 

 four feet in diameter, whether the land is hard or soft, wet or dry. To 

 remove that much earth, and refill the hole again with the best surface 

 soil or compost, I consider decidedly necessary in order to grow a tree 

 to the best advantage. Whenever you have observed closely the difference 

 between the product of a tree which h s been thus planted and one that 

 has only been tolerably well done, I can assure you that you will never 

 again consent to have such work slighted in the least, for the cost of the 

 extra work at the planting period will be found absolutely insignificant 

 compared to the growth and product of your tree in after years. I wish 

 still further to impress upon you the importance of leaving ample space 

 between your trees, to prevent their becoming crowded, for you must 

 not expect large crops or fruit of good quality unless you provide for an 

 abundance of sunshine and air between the branches. It has been a 

 fatal mistake with a large amount of the orchards that have been planted 

 in this country, and I do not consider that trees that are crowded in an 

 orchard have half the value they would have if they had plenty of room. 



PRUNING AND TRIMMING. 



Judicious pruning and trimming trees, and at the proper time thinning 

 out the fruit from trees that are inclined to overbear, are matters of the 

 utmost importance in making fruit culture a profitable business. You 

 will find more profit in raising one hundred pounds of fruit that is worth 

 two cents per pound, than in raising two hundred pounds that is only 

 worth one cent per pound. 



But thorough pruning does not mean the murderous habit, indulged in 

 by many, of sawing off a certain amount of wood that happens nearest 

 the ground. On the contrary, it means a systematic manner of simply 

 thinning and shortening the small branches, and cutting out the weak 

 ones, leaving the tree in a symmetrical and uniform shape. Large 

 branches should never be taken off unless absolutely necessary. 



Judicious thinning out of fruit from overbearing trees is of the great- 

 est importance, as it enables the remaining fruit to mature perfectly, 

 and saves the tree from breaking down *or becoming stunted by too 

 great a strain upon its vitality. All such labor and care will be amply 



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