ESSAY ON THE APPLE. 55 



be transplanted to the nursery in the same way as if directly 

 from the seed-bed. 



When trees in the nursery seem of feeble growth, or grow too 

 luxuriantly from over-manuring, they will be improved by being 

 cut back one third of their growth, and it is sometimes advan- 

 tageous to repeat this operation twice, and even three times. 

 The first cut should be downward from a strong, healthy bud ; 

 the second time it should be from a bud on the side of the tree 

 opposite the one cut from before, in order to preserve a direct, 

 upright growth. 



When the tree has attained the height at which you desire the 

 main branches to start — say from four to six feet, it should be 

 stopped by pruning the ends, that from three to six lateral shoots 

 may be developed. 



Too much care cannot be had in the keeping and culture of a 

 nursery. Weeds must be kept down and the ground kept 

 mellow. 



As an example of the way a nursery should be kept, it gives 

 us pleasure to refer to that of Mr. William Reid, at Elizabeth, 

 N. J., whose rule is to "take time by the forelock." He keeps 

 all weeds, not down, but away^ by keeping the ground stirred so 

 often they do not have a chance to get up. 



Annual top dressings of ashes, shell lime, muck, road scrapings, 

 leaf mold, are any of them serviceable, and still better would be 

 a compost of the whole. 



THE ORCHARD. 



In locating an orchard, the first thing to which attention should 

 be directed is the selection of a proper soil ; for although some 

 varieties of apple trees thrive well on all the different soils, from 

 a stiff, clayey loam to a coarse gravel, that which seems best 

 adapted to the family at large is a rich, warm loam, with just 

 enough sand to make it easily worked on a gravelly sub-soil. A 

 true loam is for the most part readily soluble in water, and pro- 

 bably derives its name from its smoothness and softness. In this 

 and more northern localities, a southeastern exposure, with a 

 gentle slope, is best ; next a southwestern ; then south ; while 

 further south, a more northerly aspect is favorable. There are 

 but few locations, if indeed there be any, that would not be 

 improved by thorough underdraining. 



An analysis of the apple-fruit and wood shows that it contains 



