NURSERY MANAGEMENT 271 



much the better. Thorough drainage, either natural or 

 artificial, is essential because nursery trees "don't like wet 

 feet." At least one season prior to planting nursery 

 stock, the land should be devoted to some (preferably in- 

 ter-tilled) farm crop corn, potatoes, mangels, cabbage, 

 etc. so it will have had deep and thorough cultivation. 

 Since the nursery crop usually requires two or more 

 years, the land must be in prime condition when the trees 

 are started in it. Otherwise the crop will be mediocre, 

 if not poor. Since sales of fruit trees, at least, depend 

 upon age, size, caliper, etc., growth must be sturdy and 

 quick ; with ornamental trees and shrubs price is fixed 

 scarcely at all by age, but more by the size of subject. 

 Hence land too poor to produce good fruit trees may yet 

 be suitable for producing ornamental stock. 



It is generally conceded that soil which has just pro- 

 duced a crop of nursery stock should not be devoted to 

 nursery stock again without a "rest" ; this, too, in spite 

 of the fact that instances of success under repeated crop- 

 ping may be cited. Cherries and apples often produce a 

 second crop of good trees without a rest between, and 

 plums have been known to do well for 5, 10 or even more 

 crops when the ground has been well manured. Pears 

 rarely do well twice in succession. Nurserymen, there- 

 fore, change their land and in many cases rent what they 

 need for terms of several years. 



The New York state station, after analyzing large 

 numbers of nursery trees, presents the following state- 

 ment based upon the table condensed below: 



[From the table! it will be seen that since, upon an 

 average, it requires from three to four years to grow a 

 crop of nursery stock, cereals make a far greater demand 

 upon the soil than does nursery stock, and it is a matter 

 of common observation that removal of a tree crop leaves 

 the soil in excellent condition for cereals. 



