EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETINS 215 



!but little if any more tbau tlie cost of the package and express for a small order. 

 We would, however, particularly caution against any persons who make extrava- 

 gant claims for the varieties they have for sale. While it is always desirable to 

 secure first-class, well-grown stock, there will be no occasion to pay an extra price 

 for trees grown by some special or secret method. Although there is some difference 

 between varieties in their susceptibility to attack by diseases and insects, no 

 varieties 'have yet been obtained which, under all conditions, are entirely free, and 

 no faith should be put upon the claims of agents who agree to furnish trees blight 

 or curculio proof for a price considerably higher than is charged for other kinds. 



In selecting varieties of any fruit for home use, it is advisable to choose a suffic- 

 ient number of kinds to cover the season and, if possible, to include varieties adapted 

 to table use in a fresh state, as well as those that are particularly valuable for 

 cooking and canning. W'hile selecting varieties for market purposes, this is less 

 necessary, although with many classes of fruit it is possible to handle them to the 

 best advantage where a number of varieties are grown that ripen in succession. 

 The kinds selected for market should have sufficient firmness to make them good 

 shippers and it is always advisable to have fruit of large size and high color, 

 and an endeavor shomd be made to combine these qualities of the fruit with high 

 flavor, so far as possible. In all cases hardiness and productiveness of the trees are 

 of the utmost importance. From the following one shoiild be able to select a list 

 of varieties that will succeed fairly well where any kind would grow. 



SELECTION OF TREES. 



For an ordinary planter medium sized trees should be selected. It is a mistake 

 to use three and four year-old trees, as they will be less likely to live than younger 

 ones and at the end of two years will be no larger, if they are as large, as when 

 smaller sizes are used. A well-grown two-year-old tree should be from four to six 

 feet in height, with a diameter of from five-eightiis to three-fourths of an inch, 

 and with several side branches. Older trees are likely to have a long, bare stem 

 and the roots vi^ill be cut so short that they will be less likely to start than when 

 younger trees with a large proportion of roots are used. Care should be taken 

 that culls of a greater age are not substituted for the age ordered. 



If possible, the trees obtained should be grown on a soil of about the same nature 

 as will be used for the orchard, as, otheiT\nse, injurious effects may be the result, 

 -especially when the trees that have come from a nursery soil that was very rich 

 and well supplied with moisture are placed upon a moderately light loam where 

 the water supply is deficient. The trees will be of a soft, succulent nature, and 

 will be subjected to a severe check when placed upon the light soil. 



Some nurseries make exti-avagant claims for the trees that they have for sale, 

 owing to some special stock upon which it has been propagated, but all of the 

 larger nurseries use about the same class of stocks and naturally iLave adopted 

 such as they have found by experience to give best results, and where other stocks 

 are used, the chances are that the trees will give inferior results. For most Mich- 

 igan soils, ordinary apple and pear seedlings are adapted to standard trees of those 

 fruits. Mahaleb stocks for cherry and Myrobalan for plum are commonly used, 

 although, upon light soils, peach seedlings are often used with success for the plum. 

 For growing the peach, it is desirable to use pits from natural trees from Ten- 

 nessee, and, when one year from bud, they are of the proper age for planting. 



Peach trees are always propagated by budding, and this method is very generally 

 used for growing pears, plums and cheiTies, and is the favorite method with many 

 ■eastern nurserymen for propagating apple trees, while western nurserymen com- 

 monly make use of root grafting. When well-grown there is little difference be- 

 tween apple trees grafted upon ■v\'hole roots and those for which piece roots have 

 been tised, provided tney are of fair length and not more than two cuts have been 

 made from a root. Ordinarily, the budded trees will be somewhat larger than 

 those propagated by root grafting, and, especially if the soil in which they (have 

 been grown is deficient in plant food, they will ordinarily be more desirable, as, 

 to grow a root-grafted tree to the proper size for planting, tipon such soil, wotild 

 take three or fotir years, while the same size wotild be attained by budded trees, 

 grown under similar conditions in two or, at most, three years. 



Although all of the large nurseries of the country are inspected by ofiicial ento- 

 mologists, from the fact that many of our most injurious insects are of small size 

 and are sometimes found only upon the roots, these inspections should not be 

 entirely relied upon, although it is undoubtedly of much value to the purchaisers of 



