THE ORCHARD. 191 



9th. Pruning and Preparing the Trees for Planting. 

 When a tree is taken up from the nursery, it unavoida- 

 bly loses some of its roots, and others are more or less 

 mutilated ; the roots frequently suffer by long carriage or 

 exposure, and in this state it is unable to support the 

 entire head as it came from the nursery. This has been 

 previously explained. In order that a tree may grow, it 

 is necessary that a balance should exist between the stem 

 or branches, and the root ; consequently, when a tree is 

 transplanted, its branches should be reduced by shorten- 

 ing so as to correspond with the roots. A standard tree, 

 that has four or five branches forming a head, should be 

 pruned, at the time of planting, to within three or four 

 buds of the base of each of the branches. These remain- 

 ing buds, receiving all the nourishment, will push vigor- 

 ously, whilst, if the branches had been allowed to remain 

 entire, they would have required a greater supply of food 

 than the roots could have furnished, and the tree would 

 either have died or made a very feeble growth. Every 

 bud we leave on the top of a tree will produce either 

 leaves or shoots, and these are so many new individuals 

 requiring sustenance. If we leave one hundred, it is 

 plain the demand will be much greater than if we leave 

 only twenty. The roots must be dressed by cutting back 

 all bruised points to the sound wood, with a smooth cut 

 on the iinder side of the root. Trees thus prepared are 

 ready for planting. 



10th. Planting Orchards. When the soil has been 

 thoroughly prepared by subsoil plowing, or trenching the 

 season previous, the planting is a simple matter ; but if this 

 has not been done, planting properly requires considerable 

 labor ; for large holes, three or four feet wide, and one and a 

 half to two feet deep, must be dug for the trees, and the re- 

 quisite composts procured to be mixed with the earth in 

 which the roots are to be placed. The planting offers an ex- 

 cellent opportunity for supplying any defects in the soil; 



