33(3 Slalc I lor/icnllitral Society. 



under s'onic of llic trees so that llic water from rains and melting snows 

 may stand nndcr the trees and injure their roots. Such a condition as 

 this is a serif )us menace tO' the lieaUh nf the tree and care should he 

 taken that standing water under all trees should he drained of¥. 



Borers. — If horers have found an entrance to any of the trees they 

 should he removed. Their presence may he detected hy the castings 

 which they throw out in horing their way into the wood. These castings 

 look like fine sawdust and may he seen just at the surface of the ground, 

 next to the trunk of the tree. In the case of peach trees there is also likely 

 to be a gummy exudation just at the line where the trunk of the tree 

 enters the ground. The living horers, which work in the growing layer 

 of the tree just ])elow ground, may he cut out l)y means of a sharp 

 slender knife, or they may usually be reached with a piece of wire, thrust 

 into the borer cavity in the wood. 



GROWINC; AITLE TREES EOR NURSERY. 



(J. Pi. Sinnock, Missom-i.) 



Apple seed is i)lanti'd, the vdung trees cuUivafed one summer, then 

 dug up late in the fall and ])laced in the cellar. This same summer's 

 new branch growtli is cut frtmi the scion orchard, tie<l in bundles, labeled 

 and packed in sawdust in the cellar. Next comes the grafting, which 

 is pleasant work for nurserymen during cold weather. The scions and 

 pieces of root are fitted to each other and packed away to callus, and by 

 spring are knit together and buds swollen ready to push out. 



Land for setting the grafted stock should be prepared as for corn, 

 plowed deep in late fall and rebroken in the spring as soon as it will do 

 to work. Pulverize fine and it is ready for the grafts. Mark the rows 

 off three feet and eight inches ai)art, plant eight inches apart in rov/, 

 using steel dibbles, setting each plant firmly in the ground. Carefully 

 label each variety. 



It is now time for cultivation, which is the most important part of 

 nursery business. The surface soil should be stirred with a cultivator 

 every few days .and in) weeds allowed ti> start. As so'on as the rows 

 show a few we^ds we throw the dirt away with a small diamond plow, 

 very shallow, leaving a three or four-inch stri]) to be worked out by 

 hand, being careful not to loosen the young plants. In a short time the 

 cultivator nuist go over again and level the gromid. Keep the cidti- 

 vator going, and whenever the rows need working use the small diamond 

 plow and hand work or hoe. Cultivate until the latter part of August, 

 then hill them up with the disk cultivator for the winter. 



