CHAPTER I. 



THE APPLE. 



'* THE APPLE," says Downing, " is the world-renowned fruit of tem- 

 perate climates." Although less delicious than the peach or pear, 

 it possesses, from its great hardiness, easy cultivation, productive- 

 ness, its long continuance through the whole twelve months, and its 

 various uses, an importance not equalled by any other fruit. 



Nursery Management. The mode of raising the seedlings or 

 stocks, has been already described in Chapter XII., of the first part 

 of this work. The seedlings are treated in three different ways. 

 They may be set out into nursery rows in the spring, when a year 

 old, to be budded the second summer ; they may be taken up and 

 root-grafted as soon as large enough ; or they may be planted into 

 rows and grafted at any subsequent period. 



Budding. When the young plants are vigorous and the land 

 fertile, the budding may sometimes be done the first year after remo- 

 val to the nursery rows, but usually the second summer will be 

 found best, when the trees are of sufficient size, and in the highest 

 state of vigor, and when, as a consequence, the bark will separate 

 freely, and the work be expeditious as well as sure of success. 

 These are headed back the following spring, according to the treat- 

 ment described in the chapter on budding. 



Root-grafting. This is done by whip or tongue-grafting, already 

 described on a previous page. It is wholly performed within doors, 

 and consequently the seedlings must be taken up the preceding 

 autumn. 



Root-grafting is well understood by nurserymen ; but there are 

 many who desire information on the subject, and especially on the 

 expeditious performance of this operation. A grafter may work 

 hard a whole day, and by an inconvenient arrangement of tools and 

 materials, insert not a third as many as another, who gives careful 

 attention to all these particulars. The following method is the result 

 pf long practice, and by it we have known a skilful workman ta 



8* 



