CLASSES OF NURSERY STOCK 81 



the weeds down and the soil well cultivated and loose on the surface, 

 and the first season's growth will give a tree fit for planting out in 

 orchard in the coming winter. For irrigation the rules already given 

 for the growth of seedlings for budding will apply. 



PRUNING TREES IN NURSERY 



As for other treatment of the trees (either from bud or root graft) 

 in nursery during the first year, there is some difference of opinion 

 and practice. If the young tree will be content to make a straight 

 switch with good buds in the axils of the leaves, but no laterals thrown 

 out, it will be in the best possible shape for planting in the orchard, 

 and gives the planter a chance to make the head at whatever height 

 suits him, and to secure uniformity through the orchard. All trees will 

 not, however, be content with this growth, but will push out laterals 

 all along the stem. Even in this case some let the whole growth go 

 for the planter to treat as he thinks best. Another plan is to go over 

 the nursery when the young stock is about two feet high and pinch 

 back the laterals part way, but retaining the leaves nearest the stem 

 to shade the stem. This pinching back is done from the ground up to 

 a height of one to one and a half feet, and above that the growth is 

 left to take its natural course, to be cut as desired when the head of 

 the tree is formed. Pinching back develops buds near the stem and 

 gives the planter a better chance to head the tree lower if he likes. 

 Another practice which prevails to some extent, is to pinch off the 

 terminal bud when the young tree has reached a height of about two 

 and a half or three feet in the nursery. This soon forces a growth 

 of lateral branches, which are in turn pinched after they have grown 

 out a couple of feet. The result is the formation of a head on a 

 nursery tree the first year, and when such trees are planted in orchard 

 they are merely cut back on the laterals, leaving the head as formed 

 in the nursery. Such trees are difficult to handle in packing, and take 

 much room in shipment. There may, however, be an advantage in 

 such practice for the home grower if he is situated in parts of the 

 State where the greatest season's growth is attained. Orchard planters 

 generally, however, prefer a June' bud or a yearling of moderate 

 growth, without laterals. 



CLASSES OF NURSERY STOCKS 



The several classes of stock which are to be had from nurseries 

 are as follows : 



Root Grafts. These are seedling roots, or pieces of them, on 

 which scions of the desired variety have been grafted on the bench 

 and the junction healed over in the cellar. No growth has yet started 

 in the scion. If the tree planter wishes this kind of stock, he should 

 plant it out in nursery row in the spring and remove the trees to 

 orchard the following winter. 



June Buds. For multiplying varieties very fast, buds are kept 

 dormant in a cool place; or, by pinching off the top shoots of the 

 current year are forced to mature buds very early. These buds are put 







