FRUIT CULTURE. 



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all experienced cultivators agree that the smaller size is preferable; we prefer plants two 

 vears old from the graft. Most gardeners abroad, when they select trees with more than 

 usual care, take what are called maiden plants those one year old from the graft and 

 there can be no doubt that, taking into account health, duration, and the ease with which 

 such a tree can be made to grow into any form, this is truly the preferable size for removal 

 into a fruit garden. But we are an impatient people, and it is not until after another century 

 of trial and experience in the culture of fruit trees that cultivators generally in this country 

 will become aware of the truth of this fact. 



The facility with which the different fruit trees may be transplanted differs considerably. 

 Plums are generally removed with most success, and after them nearly in the order as follows: 

 Quinces, apples, pears, peaches, nectarines, apricots, and cherries ; the latter succeeding with 

 some difficulty when of large size.&quot; 



Resuscitating Trees and Plants. When trees and plants have become dry and 

 shriveled from their roots being long exposed to the air before transplanting, they may be 

 resuscitated by burying them entirely in damp soil for two or three days, or placing them in 

 water for from twelve to twenty-four hours. &quot;When received from the nursery in a frozen 

 state, let them thaw out gradually in a cold, damp atmosphere, or in cold water. 



&quot; Heeling In &quot; Trees and Plants. It may sometimes happen that packages of 

 trees and shrubs will arrive from the nursery before the ground is ready for transplanting. 

 Under such circumstances it is frequently the practice with fruit growers to what is termed 

 &quot;heel in&quot; the trees, etc. The well-known nurseryman, Mr. R. H. Haines, recommends the 

 following method of doing it: 



&quot;Dig a trench 12 to 18 inches deep, and place the roots of the trees in it, with tops 

 reclining at an angle of 45 degrees. Cover the roots with soil, and, in the new trench thus 

 formed, place another layer of trees, and so on, until all are heeled in. If trenching them 

 in, in the fall, to remain all winter, the soil should be well filled in among the roots, and 

 banked up high over them.&quot; 



Distances Apart for Planting Trees, Shrubs, etc. The distances apart for 

 planting trees, etc., will depend, of course, upon the variety .and the amount of space required 

 for their successful growth. Allowance must be made for their mature growth, and for the 

 admission of air and sunlight, overcrowding to be carefully avoided, this being the fatal 

 mistake too frequently made in transplanting. The following distances are generally 

 regarded as the standard: 



The number of trees or plants required for an acre can be obtained by multiplying the 

 number contained in one row by the number of rows. Another method is to divide the 

 number of square feet in the plot to be planted by the number of square feet to be given each 

 tree or plant ; thus, strawberries planted three feet by one occupy three square feet of ground 

 each, and since an acre contains 43,560 square feet, this number divided by 3 gives 14,520 as 

 the number of plants required for one acre. Multiplying the distance in feet between the 

 rows by the distance the plants are apart in the rows, will give the number of square feet 

 occupied by one tree or plant. 



