658 ** BOARD OF AGEICULTUEE. 



if the land is xerj poor, aftei" one or two good crops of fruit the trees 

 will be thoroughly exhausted and have every appearance of decaj% or 

 else bear leaves instead of fruit, and can usually only be brought to a 

 healthy state by thorough cultivation and fertilization. If you should try 

 to transform sterile soil to fertile, don't fertilize only "just around the 

 tree," but evenly over the entire surface. 



. Orchard land should not only be, "if possible," higher than the ad- 

 jacent lands, but should also have good air drainage, so that moisture will 

 not be pocketed up and fall in the form of untimely frosts, thus blasting 

 the fondest hopes of the orchardist. 



Now, to get to the actual work: Get good trees, select the size tree 

 you wish, and get the youngest tree you can get to reach the desired size, 

 "always taking care not to get half matured trees, as they will winter 

 kill." Apple trees should be two or three years old when set, usually, but 

 still, to the experienced orchardist, a one-year old budded tree, four to 

 six'feet high, is the ideal tree; but it will cost more than the two or three- 

 year-old root graft. Plum, cherry, pear, and nearly all other trees are 

 seldom grown in any other way except as budded trees. Such trees should 

 be set at the age of one or two years, while peach trees should never be 

 planted of a greater age than one year from the bud. Of course, the roots 

 of all trees will be one or two years older. 



Secure trees as early as you possibly can and heel them in, in some 

 convenient place to the plot of land to be set to trees. Plow the land as 

 you would for a garden, and work it as carefully as you would if you were 

 going to plant in corn; then give it two or three extra workings, and 

 furrow ofC the short way. Then take the wire off a checkrower corn 

 planter, and stretch as tight as the wire will bear the strain, the long 

 way; having secured plenty of help, at least three persons. You can suc- 

 cessfully use a ten or twelve-year-old boy to can-y trees. Bear in mind 

 that trees out of soil or wet packing are as perishable as a fish out of 

 water, and in no case shoidd be in the sunshine ten minutes with the 

 roots uncovered. 



Dig hole for setting larger and deeper than the roots extend around 

 check formed by wire and the furrow. Now place the ti'ee in the excava- 

 tion, on outside of wire from the next row to plant, and fill the excava- 

 tion about half full of the fine top soil. Press firmly with the feet, finish 

 filling, and leave the tree about an inch deeper than it stood in the nurs- 

 ery row. Leave the top half of soil loose, and proceed with the other 

 trees in the row in the same way until all are filled, then move \\ire to 

 next row, leaving trees on the far side of the wire from the next row. 

 In setting iii4his way you always have the trees out of the way of mov- 

 ing over the wire; also by placing the trees against the wire the row is 

 perfectly straight the long way, and you only have to watch the short 

 way to set them in rows both ways. In setting in this way two men and 

 a small boy should set at least forty to sixty trees an hour, of first-class, 



