244 BOARD OF AGEICULTURE. 



What are the characteristics of a choice tree? First and most im- 

 portant, a good root system, consisting of several large roots rather thaii 

 one; all roots straight. Crooked roots mean trees crowded in the nursery 

 row, and crowded trees mean weakly trees. A few, but not many, fibrous 

 roots. A bright, fresh appearance. Next, a straight trunk, rather stocky 

 than otherwise, with the branches evenly disti-ibuted on all sides. The 

 heading is not of vital importance, as this can be modified later by trim- 

 ming. Size: Medium large, extra large denoting that the gi'owth may 

 have been forced at the expense of hardiness. 



Each item in the above description may be modified by variety, by 

 character of soil or by climate, and we have no right to demand that 

 each and every tree be perfect, but only that they approximate to the 

 ideal. 



Trees of apparently the same grade will, in two or three years, show 

 a marked difference in size and vigor. Careful handling of the stock will, 

 to some extent, remedy this. After digging, drying out should be avoided, 

 also excessive soaking. The first cracks the fibre; the second dissolves and 

 exhausts the partially digested plant food existent in the sap. The length 

 of time which elapses between digging and setting is unimportant; tht 

 condition in M^hich they are kept is all important. 



Death follows fatal injury to plant life more slowly than is often sup- 

 posed. The abrasion of the bark by careless tying or rough handling of 

 the nursery stock may produce its ultimate effect several years after the 

 injury occurs. The nearer the collar of the tree the injury is received, 

 the more serious will be the effects. Shriveled or frozen stock may be 

 restored by burying in damp earth. All stock that is split in root or trunk 

 should be rejected. 



All stock should be heeled in at once upon arrival, not in one pit, but 

 in several conveniently situated ones, thus avoiding long carrys while 

 setting. But few trees should be taken from the pit at once time, and 

 these few should be immediately planted. Young trees that have been 

 otherwise well cared for are often injured by being scattered over the 

 field and allowed to dry in the sun in order to save time while setting. 



Trees should be trimmed, not before setting, as is- often advised, but 

 immediately after. Each tree is tlien in its permanent position, its defects 

 in form can l)e more conveniently studied and remedied, and all abrasions 

 of the bark can be more easily seen. Each abrasion and the end of each 

 trimmed branch should be covered Avith a thick coat of white lead and 

 oil. 



Undue haste is responsible for as many errors as is carelessness. The 

 man whose ambition is to be the owner of a large acreage, or the first 

 man in the locality to finish his work, is never a good orchardist. 



The orchardist who sees in the present slender shoot the ruture sturdy 

 trunk extending and subdividing into vigorous, fruit-laden branches, who 

 keeps his mind fixed upon an ideal and works steadily toward that ideal. 



