Vancouver, to which all imported stock is subjected; and we are able to state that 

 British Columbia stock is liable to be more free from pests than most of that 

 grown in districts not so well protected from injurious insects. 



It is well to place orders early in September rather than in December. For 

 planting on Vancouver Island or in the West Kootenay, which it is desirable to do 

 in the fall, orders may be placed still earlier, and the stock delivered late in 

 October. 



In buying from agents, remember that the accredited agent will have his licence 

 to show. Keep a copy of the order given and insist on the delivery of the varieties 

 you specify. It is better to make a personal inspection of the stock at the nursery, 

 and one man might very well do this for himself and a number of neighbours at 

 the same time. In such case stock should be inspected before it is dug and stored. 



SELECTION OF NURSERY STOCK. 



It is now generally agreed that the one-year-old tree has such great advantages 

 as to be most desirable for nearly all conditions. For fall planting in the Lower 

 Mainland a two-year-old tree may be better, and for most types of cherries, in any 

 Coast section, the two-year or even the three-year-old tree may stand transplanting 

 to better advantage than the one-year-old. As a general rule, however, the one-year- 

 old top on either a two- or three-year-old root is satisfactory. For home orchard 

 use, a two- or three-year-old tree may be brought into bearing earlier, and will 

 make a dwarfer tree. 



The type of the stock selected is of importance. For all parts of the Interior 

 it is a great mistake to plant trees which grew 5, 6, or 7 feet high in the nursery. 

 The best stock is 3 l / 2 to 4^ feet high, one year old. This can then be headed at 

 20 to 24 inches to very good advantage. There is a tendency on the part of 

 inexperienced growers to purchase big trees. In fact, the nurserymen claim that 

 they insist on having the big stock. The results are usually much less satisfactory 

 than with smaller, well-matured stock, in many ways. 



There is much discussion as to the relative merits of grafted or budded trees 

 in the purchase of apples and pears. There is a great deal to be said on both 

 sides, but the net results of the discussion are about evenly balanced. 



Pests and diseases are rare on British Columbia grown stock, first because it 

 is inspected regularly; second, because it is grown in districts naturally free from 

 pests; and, third, because the whole of the stock is dug up each fall and sold 

 out. With two- or three-year-old stock there is a chance for pests to accumulate. 



The trees as delivered should be in good health, as shown by the healthy appear- 

 ance of the bark. They should be well matured and with good strong buds. The 

 root systems should be large, roots numerous, and with plenty of fibrous roots. The 

 side shoots on the trunks of the trees should not have been removed, or at least 

 enough of them should be left to form a head at the proper height. 



CARE OF TREES ON ARRIVAL. 



Nursery stock should be removed from the railway-station promptly on advice 

 from the railway agent; it should be taken out to the place where it is to be 

 planted, and if not to be planted immediately, then should be heeled in. If frozen 

 in transit, the packages should be placed in a cool, shady spot, and allowed to 

 thaw out very gradually. If the stock is dried out, it should be covered with moist 

 soil pretty well up to the tops of the trees, instead of heeling in just to the depth 

 the trees were in the nursery, as is usually to be done. If growth has started, 

 the trees must be very carefully handled, and should be shaded after being unpacked, 

 so as to save the new shoots if possible; if growth has started very materially, 

 success is not very likely. In heeling-in in the fall, trees should be placed on a 

 slant in a trench, about 10 inches deep, with the roots well covered with moist 

 earth, which should be shaken down well among them. The tops of the trees 

 should face towards the south to prevent sun-scald. In severe climates some 



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