38 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
soil below for the roots to formin. Mr. Richardson’s trouble seems 
to be that the soil becomes like dust, and I suppose if planted a 
little deeper the heat of the day and the cool of the nights draws 
moisture and supplies the tree. 
Pres. Underwood: The question was asked in regard to planting 
on new ground. I want to say a word about that. The past sum- 
mer I visited Mr. Somerville’s place. He showed mea Duchess tree 
he planted in [860, thirty-four years ago. He said he cut off the hazel 
brush and planted the tree in that ground, prepared in that way 
without any plowing, and the tree I was looking at seemed per- 
fectly sound, and it was surrounded by a good many trees that were 
retarding its growth, yet they seemed to exert no bad influence over 
it. I cut off a limb of itand brought it home as a curiosity; it has 
Mr. Somerville’s name written on it and the year it was planted. 
It seemed so strong and healthy [ felt like taking off my hat out of 
respect forit. It had grown so long that Mr. Somerville said he 
was next spring going to cut it back so as to make it start a new 
growth, but the body and every limb seem to be in perfect condi- 
tion. 
In regard to this depth of planting. I think you have developed 
an important point in this matter, and that is, it depends upon the 
soil the tree is planted in. I do not think I would go down two feet. 
There are some of our members living over near Rochester that 
planted their trees two feet deep and have had the best success of all. 
We lost a great many trees by root killing,and I think it was caused 
by the exhaustion of moisture. The moisture was entirely exhausted 
in the soil,and when the moisture is exhausted the tree is really 
dried out. Some trees are more easily affected than others. As Mr. 
Wedge says, trees on their own roots will stand more drouth than 
those which are grafted. Mr. Harris says it is moisture near the 
ground that keeps the roots alive. My observation agrees with the 
story of Mr. Wedge, that itis not the roots of the hardy stock which 
are affected, but it is the roots that are formed on the scion or body 
of the tree where the graftis put on that are injured, but below that 
the lack of moisture seems not to affect the roots. Whether it is on 
account of the subsoil or whether it is the nature of the stock itis 
grafted on I do not know, and I think if there is any advantage in 
deep planting, it is simply to get it down where there is moisture. 
If you plant a tree near the surface, and you have a long, hot, dry 
summer, the moisture near the surface is all evaporated, and when 
it freezes it freezes up dry, and that is where the trouble of root kil- 
ling comes in. 
Mr. Harris: This mulching business must not be forgotten. One 
other point I was going to make while weare on this subject. Some 
people say that if the roots are way down they will not be so likely 
to kill out in the winter. About fourteen years ago I was putting 
out some trees, and I had budded quite a number of trees upon ~ 
seedling stock of doubtful hardiness, just a little above the ground. 
It was on Haas apple trees. When I took them out of my little nur- 
sery, I wanted to set them out so the seedling stock would be below 
the surface of the ground, about six inches below the place where 
they were budded. Then came on the winter of 1884-1885 and every 
