158 MISSOURI STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



but this phenomena can be witnessed in very mild winters as we have 

 had in former years in this section. Another proof demonstrative of 

 this fact is in the formation of numerous slender rootlets and long, 

 tender iibrels, which in miid winters often grow a foot long or more. 

 Those I healed in last fall formed such from four to six inches long, not- 

 withstanding the severity of the weather the whole winter long. Whilst 

 speaking of this, I confess I have never sought to know whether the 

 trees set out isolated in the orchard ever form these rootlets during the 

 winter, but presume they do to a small extent, and more as the winters 

 are mild. 



When it is necessarj'^ to heal out trees I take care to string them 

 out in trenches deep enough to set them two or three inches lower 

 than they stood in the nursery, and avoid leaving them long in pack- 

 ages as they come from the nursery, and if the weather at the time is 

 warm for the season I only throw a light coating of earth. As the 

 weather becomes colder I throw more dirt pretty well in and around 

 them, and take care to pack and press the dirt firmly around them ; 

 also take pains to fill the insterstices between them with fine dirt, so 

 their roots are well protected from air and cold. I prefer standing the 

 trees in trenches to lajing them down obliquely, as many do, for the 

 reason of having the roots in the trenches. They are better protected 

 from the cold, nor are the roots so liable to become exposed by 

 the dirt being washed away sometimes by heavy rains, and, too, I 

 have taken up an idea that when the trees are thus laying in contact 

 with the ground for over one-half or two-thirds of their length, that 

 portion of the bark thus in contact with the ground becomes some- 

 what tender and is apt to crack in the hot days of spring. 



As I have said before tree planting is a nice job and requires pains 

 to make it euf^cessful. First, the ground should be well prepared by 

 deep ploughing or what is better, run through with a subsoil plough ; if 

 this cannot be done then more labor should be bestowed in making 

 the holes large and deep. The site should b» naturally or artificially 

 well drained. 



An eastern slope is generally preferred, but a north slope will tend 

 to prevent the early blooming of your trfces, thereby save your fruit 

 from injury by late frosts. As to whether spring or fall planting is pre- 

 ferable there is a great variety of opinion; now I have done bo-th, also 

 at all times all alo-ig the winter when our winters were milder in the 

 southwest than iu t'-e p ist two winters, ^,nd I could not see any appre- 

 ciable difierence. In planting small fruits, however, fall planting is 

 preferable, us those planted in the fall will be more apt to bear a full 

 crop the next season. Wether it makes as much difference in the bear- 



