146 



One other thing I might mention. In our own planting 

 now we put a wire guard on the tree immediately after plant- 

 ing. The one from which we get the best result is made by the 

 Clinton Wire Cloth Company, New York, they are the lowest 

 priced. The guard is 18 inches by 13, and we feel that it 

 Avill last five years. It costs us five cents, put in place. Wc 

 would rather do that then mound our trees or take any 

 other means, tar paper or some such thing, to keep th.? 

 mice off. Just keep the trmik clean of limbs for 18 inches. 

 "We look at our trees twice a year for borers, and if we find 

 them w^e take them out while they are small. Does that 

 answer it? 



MR. WHEELER. Yes. 



MR. M. C. BURRITT OF NEW YORK. AVhat general 

 planting would you advise, one-year, or two-year old? 



MR. ERASER. For general planting? Two or three 

 gentlemen in New England who have tried the one-year 

 old claim that they prefer the two-year-old. For commer- 

 cial planting in New York I am using the one. I don't 

 think it matters a great deal, so long as you get vigorous 

 trees, whether they are one year or two year. And, by the 

 way, the two-year root graft is the same age as the one year 

 bud, and the three year root graft is the same age as the 

 two- year bud. These trees are practically the same and 

 probably unless the differences were shown to you you 

 wouldn't know one from the other. 



MR. ERASER OF MASSACHUSETTS. I would like 

 to ask Mr. Eraser if he would preserve the suckers on his 

 trees and cut them back, to form a shade for the boughs? 



MR. ERASER OF NEW YORK. We have tried to cov- 

 er the branches in old trees which have been allowed to run 

 away out to the end by saving the suckers which start on 

 the side and topping them back and leaving them in, trying 

 to make fruit spurs. We have tried that, and I think it is 

 quite practicable in some cases, especially those that come 

 out of the side in this way (indicating), which can be made 

 to clothe the limb, so to speak. 



