GROWING THE APPLE TREE 45 



of country, that refuses or neglects to comply with the requirements of 

 the law relative to the destructive insects and diseases regarded as 

 injurious to the horticultural interests of the nation. Also to prevent 

 shipment of any sort of horticultural products from the state or district 

 so quarantined. As before stated this state has no horticultural in- 

 spection law and consequently does not have the power to enforce a 

 compliance with the requiremnts of the federal law. I believe the time 

 has come when the interest of horticulture demands that Nebraska shall 

 have a sane and practical horticultural inspection law, and to this 

 end a committee from this society has prepared a bill which has been 

 introduced into the legislature. A copy of this bill will be held here 

 for your inspection and you will be asked to approve or disapprove of 

 the measure. 



The work of this society has been well done in the past and I have 

 faith to believe it will be as well or better done in the future. We must 

 not be discouraged if we do not progress as rapidly as we think we 

 ought. Remember that it has required forty years to learn the besr. 

 varieties to plant. 



Our membership is changing constantly^ the young grow old and 

 the old pass to their rest, but the same spirit of good fellowship, sacri- 

 fice and service continues as the years come and go. 



The Chairman: The next thing appearing on our program is the 

 paper on the growing of the Apple Tree, by George A. Marshall, of Ar- 

 lington. 



GROWING THE APPLE TREE. 



George A. Marshall, Arlington. 



The tree, when received from the nursery, should be of fair size, 

 and in a healthy, vigorous condition, not over three years old, not 

 forked, but with a central body, and side branches of not over one 

 year's growth. It is well to grout the roots in a thin mud mortar, as 

 soon as received. Then after the orchard groimd has been well prepared 

 the trees should be planted three or four inches deeper than they stood 

 in the nursery, leaning them very slightly to the 1 o'clock sun, placing 

 the largest and lowest limbs on that side. They should not be allowed 

 to suffer by any means, but urged and coaxed on to start growing just 

 as quickly as possible. If the soil and weather are dry at time of 

 planting, they should be mulched and then watered. It must be remeni 

 bered that a tree well started is half grown. 



Cultivation should be begun in the orchard immediately after the 

 trees are planted. Cultivated crops can be profitably grown in the orch- 

 ard the first few years. When the trees have grown too large for this 

 crop to be profitable, the cultivation should still be kept up with 

 more or less vigor, according to location, and to the annual rainfall, 

 etc.; in other words, the trees should have sufficient moisture and care 



