Minnesora Stave HorticuctTvuraL Socrery. 117 
a fortnight before planting to knit well the union of the graft and swell the buds. 
If possible select new ground on which to plant, that you may have less weeds, 
- and where the snow will lie well during the winter; but if the ground is old it 
should be thoroughly enriched. Plow it deep in the fall and sub-soil it, then 
_in the spring plow it again as soon as it is dry enough to work, drag thoroughly 
and roll or plank it. Mark out in rows north and south 314 feet apart, using a 
- long rope stretched tightly and make the impression by walking on it. 
’ For setting I preter a flat iron or steel dibble which any blacksmith can make. 
It should be 8 inches long and 2 inches wide with the shank put through a short 
shovel handle with nut on the end. 
In the field do not expose the grafts long to sun or wind, mud the roots ina 
mortar of rich eartb; then make a hole with the dibble that will admit the graft 
without crowding it down, and by another insertion of the dibble press the 
earth against it very firmly at all points but more particularly at the bottom. 
Plant six inches apart, and leave only one bud in sight. 
Cultivation. 
As soon as the weeds show themselves, with a careful horse and a good culti- 
vator, turn the surface ground away from and within two inches of the row. 
The best implement I have found for this purpose is one of my own devise. I 
took our Perry scarifier that we tried a season to find some use for, and put in 
teeth made the same as those in Van Brunt’s seeder except that they are a little 
larger, and on the two corners I put a scraper tooth six inches long and four 
_ inches wide. Running one of these close to the row I can speedily put it in 
good shape for weeding. 
The best and cheapest way to do this is to hire women or girls and boys, and 
give them one each of the two kinds of hand weeders sold by D. M. Dewey, 
Rochester, N. Y. Wath these they can speedily and safely clean the weeds and 
earth away. When the weeds start again, reverse the shovels in your cultivator 
and turn the earth back to the row. 
The ground should be kept clean and stirred frequently until July, when 
usually it will be better to stop the cultivation and encourage the early ripening 
of the wood. 
Aphis. 
Should they be attacked by the Aphis, dip them in a weak solution of carbolic 
acid, saltpetre, or Paris green in water, or a strong decoction of tobacco. The 
latter we have used most, but I feel sure there is something better. 
Cultivation Second Year. 
Tn the fall, if you have cultivated as you ought and the season has been favor- 
able, your trees will have grown from two to three feet high, and you will have 
a nice crop of weeds and pigeon grass to hold the snow, and protect the trees 
during the winter. If, however, you haye not got a uniform growth, and many 
are only six inches or a foot high, you had better cut them back to the ground in 
the spring, and leave only the strong ones, which, if the winter has not been 
severe, will need cutting back to the first strong bud. Begin cultivating very 
early the second year, so as to turn the ground up to the sun for warmth, and 
