242 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



smooth ti'ees. Another thing in selecting trees for commercial orchards- 

 it is always best to send your orders in as early as possible. You can 

 get better satisfaction from the nurseryman if you have your orders ii. 

 in time, and you can get better trees than if you wait until the last min- 

 ute. Some people wait until they get the ground ready, and send in and 

 say, "ship at once." If you want the best trees, send your orders in as 

 early as possible. 



President Stevens: Next on this topic is Fi-ank Sheets. 



SELECTION OF NURSERY STOCK. 



BY FRANK SHEETS, MOORESVILLE. 



Having been informed, by men of experience, what varieties of fruits 

 are best suited to the different sections of the State, and since the law 

 enforces inspection of the trees by a competent official, whose certificate 

 is a guarantee of healthfulness, it would seem to be almost unnecessary 

 to multiply words concerning a selection of nursery stock. 



Our notions may differ as to the best methods of propagation, whethei- 

 by budding or grafting, whether the ti-ees in the nursery should be set 

 close together or wide apart, or with reference to the manner of cultivat- 

 ing and pruning the young trees. Again, some orchardists would trans- 

 plant one-year-old trees to be sure of getting all the roots, and that 

 the training of the young trees might be in his own hands from the be- 

 ginning: others would prefer trees of two or three years' growth, believ- 

 ing that such trees are advanced so much toward the time of fruiting. 



All of these questions are debatable. Let ^-ery one be fully persuaded 

 in his own mind. 



My opinion, founded upon only five years of experience, is that more 

 than all else, the longevity and fruitfulness of the tree, of whatever sort, 

 depends more upon the cultivation of the orchard after transplanting. 

 To be more definite, if I was planting, I would select well-grown, two- 

 year trees of apple, pear, cherry, peach and plum— not more than one 

 year from the bud. I would not want stock that had not given a good 

 gi-owth the previous year. However, it depends on the location of the 

 nursery, as stock grown in one section of the country will be as large 

 at two years as in others at three. I would try to avoid overgrown 

 trees, as well as undergroAvn. There is danger in either extreme. 



I would like a tree Avith a good, straight body and a well-balanced, 

 symmetrical head, which you can get in some varieties, while in otliers 

 it would 1)0 impossible, as they will not grow that way. 



