114 State Horticidtural Society. 



GROWING THE BEST NURSERY TREES. 



(By T. R. Peyton, Boonville, Mo.) 



In growing the best nursery trees, the first thing to con- 

 sider is, what are the chief requisites? And we believe the most 

 important of these principal requirements is the soil. Experi- 

 ments have fully demonstrated that certain soils are best adapted 

 to certain crops, and especially is this true in the growing of horti- 

 cultural products. Hence, to grow the best nursery trees, the 

 grower must first consider whether or not the land which he ex- 

 pects to use is capable of producing under favorable conditions 

 a first-class product of that particular kind of tree. The Ibest land 

 for general nursery purposes is one which contains a good per- 

 centage of clay, and lying as nearly level as possible. However, 

 when we say "level" we do not mean flat prairie land, as this class 

 of land is generally underlaid with hard pan, or a strata of uncon- 

 genial stifi:' clay which is inclined to hold too much surface water, 

 and, therefore, is not adapted to horticultural purposes. 



Nursery trees constitute a crop which occupies the land for a 

 number of years, and unless the land is in good condition when the 

 trees are planted, there will be little opportunity to raise a good 

 product. With fruit trees the age of the tree determines its sal- 

 ableness; hence it is important that the growth within the given 

 time be rapid and strong. With ornamentals, however, the value 

 is determined by the size of the specimen, with little regard to 

 its age. It therefore follows that lands which are not sufficiently 

 strong to allow the profitable growing of fruit trees may still be 

 used for growing ornamentals. But any soil that will produce a 

 good crop of corn or wheat should easily furnish in three years 

 ten times the plant food used by the trees. 



All experience proves that a crop of nursery trees does not 

 exhaust the land of its fertility. In fact, it is generally considered 

 that land from which trees have been moved is in the very best 

 condition for a crop of wheat or potatoes. Yet, despite this fact, 

 it is also generally considered that land can seldom raise two good 

 crops of nursery trees in succession. The reason for this condi- 

 tion of treed land is that the soil is injured in its physical texture 

 by the methods of cultivation and treatment. The best nursery 

 lands are those which contain a basis of clay, and these are the 



