THE WINTER CARE OF FRUIT TREES. ' 349 



horse is stolen. To insure success we must make every move from 

 the very beginning of the hfe of the tree in accordance with those 

 methods which experience shows produce satisfactory results. If 

 you desire to grow apples in profusion for your family, select well 

 drained land (there is such a thing as too much water), preferably 

 a northeast slope, but any slope will do. Never mind whether 

 you have shelter or not. (Thousands of people imagine they have 

 to grow a forest before they can grow apples.) 



Secure Minnesota grown trees with good roots, three-year-old 

 trees preferred. Plant deep on heavy soils, with at least eight inches 

 of the trunk of the tree in the ground ; on light soils fifteen inches 

 is not too much. Dig the holes large enough and deep enough so 

 that you can put six inches oi rich, mellow soil (no manure) under 

 the roots. The people who have had unsatisfactory results from 

 deep planting are those who put the roots down on to the hard clay 

 subsoil. 



Set that side of the tree which has the limbs nearest the ground 

 toward the southwest. Start the limbs about six inches, and not 

 over one foot, from the ground. Train by pruning while young, so 

 as to grow the tree as near the ground as possible. A low trunked 

 tree is far more apt to live and fruit than one with a high trunk. 



If you have no- shelter, plant a shelter belt at the same time that 

 you plant the fruit trees. It will soon grow if given proper care. 



Cultivate your trees well, and during the first few years raise 

 some hoed crop amongst them. 



About the first of June put a good, big pile of new mown grass 

 around each tree and keep it there. Green cut grass will hold the 

 moisture better than anything else.- If the ground becomes so 

 dry that they need water, remove the mulch, dig up the ground 

 so that it will absorb water readily, give a barrel, NO LESS, of 

 water to each tree and immediately replace the mulch. The tree 

 will then go through three weeks of the dryest weather without 

 injury. By that time it will probably rain, but if not repeat the 

 dose. The way people commonly water their trees and shrubs, a 

 gallon or two at a time with the ground left exposed and allowed 

 to bake, so that capillary attraction draws the water into the air 

 almost as fast as it is put on, does more harm than good. Soak 

 them thoroughly while you are about it and immediately mulch well. 

 Many trees are lost the first winter after they mature a heavy crop 

 of fruit. In maturing its fruit the tree exhausts its vitality and the 

 wood is left extremely dry. Such loss may be entirely prevented by 

 providing sufficient moisture during the fall. A good fruiter is 

 worth taking care of. 



