PART THIRD-FRUIT CULTDRE. 



CHAPTER XIII. 



ORCHARD CULTURE. 



THEIFTY, PROFITABLE OECHARD is within 



the reach of every farmer, by as plain and simple means 



as a crop of potatoes or any other farm crop, and we 



shall try to rob this exceedingly plain subject of some 



of the mystery that has been thrown about it, and give practical 



directions for accomplishing so desirable an object; beginning 



with the NuESERY, for every farmer may as well be his own 



nursery man. Select for the nursery a warm, dry spot, perfectly 



dry, plow it eight or ten inches, subsoil it ten or twelve inches 



more, spread on three inches of compost of muck and manure 



thoroughly rotted, {see Manures,) harrow and cross harrow it in, 



then cross plow it under. If to be planted in the fall, the 



pomace from the cider press may be planted for apple stocks. 



Break it up fine by raking with an iron rake. If planting bo 



deferred till spring, the seed must be separated from the pomace 



by a coarse sieve, and the sifted pomace repeatedly washed 



until clean seeds alone are left. Spread the seeds thickly on 



boards, and stir until perfectly dry. These seeds should be 



packed in slightly moistened sand, in tight boxes, and kept 



through the winter in a dry, cool place, and planted at the 



earliest moment in the spring. Pear seeds will have to be 



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