V 



STARTING THE ORCHARD 



A MATTER of prime importance in starting an apple 

 orchard is to begin with good trees. Everybody seems 

 to know what constitutes a good horse, a good pair of 

 boots, or a well-made suit of clothes, but very few 

 people appear to have the necessary basis for judging 

 the value of nursery stock. It is altogether amusing 

 to see a file of ordinary customers select nursery trees 

 for themselves in nurseries where such direct purchase 

 is possible. Very often large trees are selected with- 

 out regard to the roots, apparently with the idea that 

 the bigger the top the better the tree. Even when 

 more regard is paid to the proper balance of branches 

 with the root system the principal idea still seems to be 

 to get the biggest trees. The more such a customer 

 can get for the money the better he seems satisfied. 

 Even when these crude errors are avoided others 

 almost as bad are fallen into. Yet this matter is a 

 very important one. It is just as desirable to have 

 good nursery trees as to have good seed, and every 

 farmer considers this one of the first requirements in 

 agriculture. There is as much difference between 

 good trees and poor ones as between good coffee and 

 chicory mixture. On what, then, should a man base 

 his judgment? 



A GOOD NURSERY TREE 



First of all, the trees should be free from insects and 

 disease. Nowadays nursery stock is nearly all liable 



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