STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 265 



To plant the seeds for new varieties, prepare your soil the same 

 as if you planted trees from a nursery. Stake out the ground and 

 work the spot deep. The larger the hole and deeper the subsoil, 

 from the surface, the harder you have to pack the soil when you 

 fill it up again. Set the stake, or anything else you are using for a 

 mark, then plant two or three seeds on the north side of it. If 

 they are fresh plant them in the fall and cover about one inch with 

 loose earth or mould. If dry, plant early in spring soaking the 

 seeds first, and cover lightly, say half or three-eights of an inch 

 deep. Keep clean the same as your corn, potatoes or any hoed 

 crops. If all the seeds should come up, remove the surplus either 

 the first or second year. 



To enlarge the orchard, transplant them, or fill out where any 

 are missing; taking good care in digging them up to save all the 

 roots possible. Unless you do so, those not disturbed will get the 

 start of the transplanted ones. Mulch the first winter if on an 

 exposed situation. Do so any way, so as to be sure the frost will 

 not go below the tap roots. The only success we will have in rais- 

 ing good orchards will be by planting seedlings one year, or the 

 farthest, two years old. 



Transplanting should be done thus early because the msin tap 

 root is not disturbed. The further the soil is loosened the faster 

 and farther these roots will go down, and the safer the tree will be. 



The roots will not be killed because parts of them reach below 

 frost, and if it should freeze up dry in the fall, those roots will sup- 

 ply moisture, when the frost is coming out of the frozen part, even 

 if the earth takes it up. 



The small trees should be watered in the fall if not mulched, be- 

 cause the tap root may not go far enough to be safe from frost. 



Drouths are no injury to deep rooted trees. I am convinced 

 pears of hardy kinds can be grown in the same way, because the 

 farther the tap roots go down the lesser will be the surface roots, 

 and certain changes in the weather will not excite the trees, and 

 stimulate to excessive growth, and thus the sap can be controlled 

 and the trees are saved against fire-blight. 



If the seedlings should be raised in a small patch by themselves, 

 they should be well taken care of and set out in the orchard the 

 second year, with all the roots that can be saved on taking them 

 up, especially the centre or tap root. It they should be wanted to 

 graft new varieties (say the hardy winter Russian, if we ever get 

 such) there would be a little time gained, either in grafting before 

 planting out, or any time afterwards. 



