STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 215 



ing killed by cold, and cause each of them to throw out an addi- 

 tional set of valuable roots above its collar. To the first proposed 

 advantage to be gained by deep planting, I will reply, that I have 

 never known the roots of fruit trees to be injured in a good moist 

 soil which had received proper care. In regard to the forcing of 

 trees to make additional roots, I will answer, that in natural forests, 

 most varieties of trees grow upon soils which are adapted to their 

 wants; that the junction of the main roots and body of each tree 

 is at or near the surface of the ground; that each tree has but one 

 set of main roots, and that the diameter and length of each root is 

 in proportion to the size of the trunk and hight or diameter of the 

 top of the tree to which it is attached. The forcing of trees to 

 double the number of their roots by deep planting, would relieve 

 each root from doing more than half of its natural share of work, 

 and in the course of time, both the natural and forced roots would 

 be dwarfed to half the size and length of the roots of properly 

 planted trees. No one will doubt this statement who has had much 

 experience in transplanting cabbage and tomato plants, or ever- 

 green trees, etc. What we need most on our deep prairie soils is 

 very long roots which will reach well down into the subsoil, in- 

 stead of great numbers of roots. Almost any crop which requires 

 good cultivation is suitable for orchards until they begin to bear 

 fruit. Afterwards for several years no other crop will prove better 

 than buckwheat, which should be sowed during the latter part of 

 May. But why buckwheat is a better crop for orchards than wheat, 

 oats, timothy, etc., may require some explanation. On our best 

 orchard soils we can furnish all of the moisture which our trees will 

 require by growing suitable crops, or by mulching. Buckwheat is 

 a suitable crop, because a single experiment with a thermometer in 

 a field of buckwheat will show, that the temperature of the air 

 which circulates among its stalks is much lower than the tempera- 

 ture of the air above it. A similar experiment in a field of oats, 

 wheat, rye or timothy will show that the temperature of the air 

 near the ground in either of such fields, is much higher than that 

 which is above the tops of the growing crops. In a field ck- 



wheat the soil is cold enough to condense the moisture of the at- 

 mosphere, consequently it cannot be otherwise than moist. In a 

 field of wheat, oats or other similar crops, the soil is always dry in 

 dry weather, because it is too warm to condense the vapor which 

 is in the atmosphere, and its heated condition causes what moisture 

 it does contain to be evaporated rapidly. 



