7'2 AGRICULTURE OF MAINE. 



which has added not only all of the nitrogen the trees require, 

 but a large amount of humus which for years has been built 

 up in the soil by the continued ploughing in of the clover crops. 

 The orchard land is ploughed in the early spring, and harrowed 

 weekly, until early July, when eighteen pounds of clover seed 

 per acre are sown, one-half of which is Crimson and the other 

 half Mammoth Red clover. 



By this method, any soil, however poor, may be in time greatly 

 improved and its productive power largely increased. To be 

 successful in obtaining the regular growth of clover, there must 

 be present in the soil the bacterial life that is essential to the 

 nourishment of the clover plant, and if this is deficient, as is 

 the fact in much of the older soil of the East, it must be sup- 

 plied by artificial inoculation. The growth of clover may often 

 be much improved and aided by a liberal application of lime, 

 and by a few hundred pounds of potash and phosphoric acid 

 per acre. 



Where the soil is not in the best condition at the time of 

 planting an orchard, this method of soil improvement may be 

 adopted and the soil and trees both benefited at the same time, 

 and while they are growing. 



THE PROPAGATION OF THE TREES. 



Next in importance in the establishment of a productive 

 orchard is the right propagation of the trees. A mushroom 

 may complete its growth in twenty-four hours, but an apple 

 tree not in a century, hence in planting this most desirable of 

 all fruit trees, it is of vital importance that the best condition 

 be obtained in the tree. From the long life and value of an 

 apple tree, its .propagation becomes of the first importance. 



In nursery practice, the seeds of the apples are sown in rows 

 and the seedling trees either budded or the pieces of the roots 

 grafted with the desired varieties taken from the nursery rows. 

 I always prefer to plant trees that have been grown from whole 

 roots rather than piece roots. 



Trees propagated in the former manner have no particular 

 character. They are uneven in quality, and have little uniform- 

 ity of bearing or general character of tree and fruit. In look- 

 ing over most orchards, very few trees will be seen that are 

 alike in form, while the fruit on the same tree will vary largely; 



