AND CATTLE DOCTOR. 273 



Fruit trees. 



The seeds of a nursery should be planted in rows 

 five or six feet apart, that carrots, potatoes, or bush 

 beans may be planted between them. This will be an 

 inducement to keep the nursery clean. Cherries, 

 peaches, plumbs, and other stone fruit, should be 

 planted while the stones are moist, or with the meat 

 on them. In this way they come up with more cer- 

 tainty. It is a good practice to plant the seeds in 

 beds, and to remove the young trees to the nursery. 

 This will give an opportunity of early removing the 

 tap root, and of increasing and directing the lateral 

 roots. The dwarfs in a nursery are not worth culti- 

 vating, and ought to be removed ; there are commonly 

 enough thrifty trees without them. 



In taking up trees, care should be used not to injure 

 the roots. The tap roots should be cut off, the broken 

 roots pruned with a sharp knife, and the lateral roots 

 should be carefully preserved, and should have suffi- 

 cient room in the ground to spread. The trees when 

 set out should have the same aspect, as when standing 

 in the nursery. It is useful to place a small quantity 

 of hay or straw around them, to prevent the sun from 

 taking up too much of the moisture, and to keep the 

 ground from becoming dry and hard. This should 

 be removed before snow falls, lest it harbour mice. 



On dry land, not exposed to be moved by frost, 

 transplanting is safest and best in autumn ; otherwise 

 in the spring. Trees are more thrifty, will bear 

 sooner, and more plentifully, near fences, and will less 

 incommode the cultivation of the field. 



In forming the head of the tree, all the limbs, which 

 will be likely to rub across other limbs, should be 



