130 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



It does, however, take more time to handle and plant, and more care to watch 

 the older trees and start them to growing. They must have extra care in plant- 

 ing, good feeding, good mulching and wrapping, and if necessary watering, dur- 

 ing the first summer. The watering is beat done by|mal£ing a few small stake-holes 

 around the tree, and filling them with water often enough to insure the needed 

 moisture to keep up a healthy flow of sap during hot weather. 



Then in planting the larger trees, especially the five-year-old, there should 

 be two or three pounds of ground bonea, "bone-meal," mixed through the dirt, 

 particularly toward and about the ends of the roots. This has a wonderful effect. 

 Hundreds of new rootlets will soon start out and make a cluster-mat, like oleander 

 roots in a tub, giving the tree bracing strength as well as feeding power. 



Bone-meal has such powerful effect as a fertilizer, that it will straighten a 

 leaning tree if dug plentifully in about the roots on the obtuse side. And if the 

 bone-meal is partly dissolved ready for root food, so much the better. 



I once heard my instructor tell an old lady that he straightened his trees by 

 cutting a dog in two, and burying half of him on the side from which the tree 

 leaned, when she asked him whether he killed the dog. 



As to planting advanced trees, I may give you a little of my own experience : 

 Three years ago I planted three dozen of five-year-old, in way of replant, in an old 

 orchard that I intended to cut down. During the first year I got but little growth, 

 even with all my pains, not having used the needed bone dust as a starter. But 

 the second year some of my trees made a growth of four feet, and this year they 

 were quite full of bloom. And I would have had quite a crop of apples from them 

 If the good Lord had not seen fit to put me where 1 might console other miserable 

 company. As with young stock, you can aff"jrd to sit up of nights and work on 

 Sunday to give your young trees a good start . 



But take your own trees, small or large, as may suit your own purpose, home,, 

 seeing that the roots neither get dry nor frozen. If you can plant them within a 

 day or two, throw them into your pond with a weight on them to keep them 

 under water, both root and top. 



But If they are to lie over a few days, heel them |in deeply, wet the roots 

 occasionally and keep the sua off" the tops. At any rate, never plant a tree that 

 is at all withered without first soaking it from twelve to twenty-four hours in 

 water. 



If you have to keep trees, especially large ones, over winter, bury them, root 

 and branch, underground out in an opgn place where mice don't care to go, using 

 nothing but dirt to cover them. Bat better plant large trees in the fall if possible» 

 that the soil may settle well against the roots before budding time. And for winter 

 protection pile the dirt as high up around the tree as you well can. 



In laying out your orchard the rows should run up and down the hill as nearly 

 as possible to secure good drainage, for an apple-tree will not live well with "wet 

 feet." No doubt it would pay well to tile-drain any orchard, but to save the ad- 

 vance outlay we will improvise a cheap, practical substitute. 



For every row we will plow out a kind of "land furrow," making a ditch as 

 deep as a good, strong team can throw it out ; then in the bottom of that run a sub- 

 soiler ; then with the plow throw the dirt all back again and harrow it off thoroughly 

 until the ground is mellow. You will then have a slight ridge, such, at least, until 

 the ground settles again. Now, on this elevation, and right over the hidden drain, 

 throw out the dirt until a hole is made wide enough to take in the roots of the 

 tree stretched out straight and at full length, and deep enough to set it at least 

 two inches deeper than it stood in the nursery. 



