192 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
find an opening I catch each twig that is near the opening and find the bud 
that points the most directly towards the opening and cut each twig off just 
above such bud. I go all around the opening and if the opening is likely to 
prove serious I go over the same the next spring. One will be surprised to 
see how rapidly he can close these openings. To aid this work and insure 
a tree’s self protection, as soon as the tree is set I cut off smooth to the 
trunk all limbs or shoots that appear to be growing to the northeast, which 
forces the sap into the branches on the sun side and builds it up in a way to 
make it safe from sun scald, which is death to many trees sooner or later 
unless aided by some kind of protection. Then clip the twigs on the sun 
side to thicken the top on the sun side, but never head in, as is often recom- 
mended, on the northeast side to make the sap build up the sunny side; if 
you do you will fail, for every twig you head in will immediately send out 
two shoots in place of the one headed in. Always cut close to the stem all 
limbs or shoots that appear growing to the northeast. Heading in on the 
northeast side, as often advised, only adds fuel to fire or insult to injury; but 
cutting all the shoots from the northeast side close to the stem forces the 
sap to build up the sunny side. Follow this training till the tree comes in 
bearing, when from some cause (not fully known to me) the tree ceases its 
former inclination to grow to the northeast. This one-sided training is often 
objected to, but here I deem it of very great importance. 
When once in fashion nothing to me appears nearer perfection than to 
see a fine young orchard with every tree standing to the one o'clock sun, 
with all openings closed up on the sun side, with a slight opening on the 
northeast corner which furnishes a much needed place to get into each tree 
in time of picking, trimming or hunting worms. 
Boys ask why I advise stamping the earth so firm when refilling the hole 
in setting a tree. I do this to connect the loose earth thrown back solid 
against the bottom and sides. If the earth is left light and loose on the sides 
and bottom I get little or no benefit from the moisture that would otherwise 
rise in a dry time from below by capillary attraction. I have 
removed trees after being set two or three weeks in a dry time, 
and where loosely set I have found the earth on the bottom 
and sides of the hole much more moist than the earth that had 
been replaced in the hole in setting. This securing special aid from capillary 
attraction in a severe drought is, as a rule, little thought of, but it is an 
unseen power of inestimable value to all new set trees here in our long con- 
tinued seasons of drought. Were it not for this aid our entire forest would 
scarcely survive one season here, in our dry, hot air. If these be facts, we 
need not argue the vast importance of securing the most perfect capillary at- 
traction. To secure the best results there appears two important ends to be 
gained. First, how to raise the moisture from the earth below and not have 
it stop just as it reaches the bottom roots but keep on till above all roots; 
but here comes the second fine point, how to stop it and hold it just below 
the surface and among the roots. Satan never worked with any more per- 
sistency to induce Eve to eat the forbidden fruit than does both the sun and 
wind to induce the moisture to break out from the surface and escape from 
the roots to the atmosphere. The best known remedy I can give is to keep 
the surface loose from setting till rains in the fall. 
SS 2 = —_ 
