FAEMEKS' INSTITUTES. 3G9 



I prefer to set trees in early spriug on a still damp cLay. Place fine surface 

 soil on the roots, which should be spread in every direction in a natural way. 

 Stamp the dirt in firmly as it is thrown into the hole. If budded or grafted, 

 set the poorest side of the tree to the northeast. Let every tree bear a few 

 inches to the southwest to meet our strong winds. Use no manure about the 

 roots unless it be some pounded bones. 



Mulch the soil at once with coarse manure, eight inches deep, extending four 

 feet each way. The better the soil the less manure there may be in the mulch. 

 After setting out no one should neglect to make a plat of his orchard, no mat- 

 ter if it is only a rude one. In this plat is recorded the position of each tree, 

 when set and the name of the variety. This would save much trouble and 

 confusion in future years. 



CULTURE. 



We might suppose tliis matter would be settled by this time, at least, so far 

 as young trees are concerned. But people continue to buy trees and stick the 

 roots into a hole with hard soil all around and plenty of grass or clover allowed 

 to grow. I have, witliin two years, seen a young orchard set in a clover meadow 

 wdthin ten or twenty miles of Kochester, New York, where of all places 

 on this continent we should suppose every man knew better. I have often 

 seen young trees set in a wheatileld, which is not much better than in a meadow. 

 The roots of clover and grasses often extend down into the soil four and five 

 feet or more, and they rob your trees when not suspected. To be brief a young 

 tree should be treated very much as you would treat a hill of corn. Hoed crops 

 will answer in a young orchard; sowed crops will do much harm to young trees. 

 As before mentioned, I think it a good plan to keep young trees mulched, and 

 I am not sure but it is the best of all ways to treat large or old trees as long as 

 they live. Mulch prevents the rapid evaporation of moisture from the soil, 

 keeps the surface mellow, prevents the soil from often freezing and thawing in 

 winter and becoming over-heated in summer. Whether or not to cultivate trees 

 which have become well established depends upon circumstances. I have never 

 seen an apple orchard which I thought was injured by too frequent sliallow cul- 

 ture, but this may be the case in some places, especially in warmer climates or 

 Avhere the soil is deep and very rich. Upon this point I cannot do better than 

 to repeat what has several times been in print, taken from one of my pre- 

 vious reports. Whether to cultivate or not can be told by the looks of the tree. 

 If the color of the leaves is good and the growth all right and the trees bear 

 well of fine fruit, they are doing well enough, even if in grass. But if the 

 leaves are pale, the groAvth of the annual twigs mucli less than a foot in length 

 on trees set twelve years and the fruit small and poor, something is the matter, 

 and they are suffering for want of plow, harrow or cultivator, or a heavy mulch 

 or coat of manure, or two or more of these combined. The upper twigs of trees 

 set twelve to twenty years ought to grow six to twelve or more inches each year. 

 To judge of tlie condition of an apple tree is much like judging of the condition 

 of sheep in a pasture. To determine the latter point, look at the sheep and 

 not at the pasture. As long as the slieep are plump and fat they are all right. 

 Home experiments on culture of orchards have been going on at our college 

 for several years. Tliey have attracted much attention. For a full account 

 see my lecture on experiments, and my report for this year and previous years 

 printed in the report of the State Board of Agriculture for 1876. I may give 

 .a little here. Digging little circles about trees and kee])ing the ground mellow 

 47 



