638 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



in tree planting and makes suggestions for planting apple trees under 

 the conditions prevalent in eastern Nebraska. At the end of the 

 second year of an experiment to determine how old trees should be 

 when planted, the average size of the different sets decreased in the 

 following order: Three-year-old trees, two-year whips and two-year tops 

 on three-year roots, two-year limbed trees, and one-year trees; but not 

 in all cases in proportion to the differences in their ages when planted. 

 While in the opinion of the author it is much too soon to pass final judg- 

 ment upon these results, he remarks that " two-year limbed trees are 

 eminently satisfactory and desirable for ordinary planting, but with 

 good care even one year-old trees may give good results and gain on 

 older trees planted at the same time." On the method of digging large 

 holes through the compact subsoil and filling these with mellow surface 

 soil in which to plant the trees, no conclusions could as yet be drawn 

 from the experiments. Several methods of root pruning were tried, 

 which varied from cutting the roots back to only 1 or 2 in. in 

 length to leaving them wholly untrimmed, just as received from the 

 nursery. The author says: "These experiments indicate that all 

 healthy roots which are found on a tree as shipped from the nursery 

 should be left there in planting. The results upon this point are more 

 emphatic than upon any other question embraced in the experiments." 

 There appeared to be no advantage in making a fresh, clean cut at the 

 ends of sound roots. The conclusions drawn from the experiments on top 

 pruning are unfavorable to cutting back apple trees severely at plant- 

 ing time. Those left entirely unpruned or with the branches shortened 

 about one-half did better than those pruned to a cane or grown as a 

 whip in the nursery. 



Cooperative experiments on fall planting were conducted at the 

 Nebraska Station and by H. C. Irish at the Missouri Botanical Garden, 

 at St. Louis, Missouri, the object being to determine if root growth can 

 take place while the tops are dormant. The experiments at both places 

 showed that fall planted trees do make some root growth in the 

 autumn succeeding planting, and in the spring before the leaves start. 

 While the experiments were not designed to determine the desirability 

 of fall planting, the author says they indicate that in the locality of St. 

 Louis fall planting gives good results, but upon the plains it is gener- 

 ally found to be unsatisfactory, owing largely to the dry open winters. 



Ornamental planting, F. W. Card (Nebraska Sta. Bui. 55, pp. 10, 

 Jigs. 7). — This bulletin treats of the lawn, and the arrangement, group- 

 ing, and choice of plants in ornamenting the home. A list of some 

 ornamental plants suitable for Nebraska planting, with descriptive 

 notes, is given. Among those found satisfactory at the station are the 

 following: Shrubs. — Spmea, sand cherry, Rosa rugosa, button bush, 

 red branched dogwood, tamarix, viburnums, syringas, honeysuckles, 

 sumachs, snowberry, juneberry, and gooseberry. Climbers. — Virginia 

 creeper, wistaria, wild clematis, hop, and wild grape. Herbaceous peren- 

 nials. — Gaillardia grandijlora, golden marguerite, perennial sweet pea. 



