222 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



CARE OF YOUNG APPLE TREES AND EVERGREENS. 



O. A. TH. SOLEM, HALSTAD. 



(Read at Annual Meeting of Red River Valley Hort Society.) 



When I came here about twenty-three years ago, I was told 

 that apples could not be raised in the valley. Our winters were 

 too cold and severe and our summers too short to ripen the fruit 

 if they could survive over winter. Probably crabs could be 

 raised, but even that was doubtful. As I had at that time joined 

 the horticultural society of our state and was reading encouraging 

 reports from different parts of the central and northern portion 

 of our state, it entered my mind that the time might come that 

 even here in the valley apples could be grown. 



I bought a few Transcendant crabs and two Whitney's No. 

 20, fifteen years ago. In 1892 I set out some Tonka crabs. 



In 1897 I started my first orchard of 240 apple and crab trees, 

 200 apple trees and forty crab trees. As you see, my experience 

 in taking care of trees is very limited, but what little I may know 

 is at your service. The main thing in taking care of trees is to 

 start right. If you do not start right there will not be much to 

 take care of. 



Start right by selecting the proper place for your trees. This 

 must be determined to a great degree by the character of the estate. 

 It is desirable that the front be kept open and free, for ornamental 

 decoration. Fruits are consigned to the rear, generally at one side 

 of the barn and out-buildings, ^^or convenience in working and 

 for mutual protection, it is desirable to concentrate the various 

 fruits in one locality so far as is practicable. 



Start a good ivindbrcak on the south, west and north of your 

 orchard. 



Laying out the orchard. Every one will admit that an orchard 

 handsomely laid out, in. perfectly straight rows, is in every re- 

 spect better than where the trees are in crooked lines. An 

 owner can feel no pride in giving proper cultivation to an 

 awkwardly planted orchard : and trees standing out of line will 

 be a constant annoyance to every ploughman who is in the prac- 

 tice of laying perfectly even furrows. 



Proper distance. Sixteen by sixteen feet is a good distance 

 when trees are small, but after a few years when your trees have 

 branched out and come into bearing you will find it next to impos- 

 sible to give thorough cultivation. Sixteen by twenty is not too far ; 

 rows twenty feet apart and trees sixteen feet apart in the row. 



Dig big holes. Two feet deep and four feet in diarneter is about 

 right. Fill in about eight or ten inches of cultivated soil. 



