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12 One Thousand Questions in Agriculture 



stump, placing therein a tablespoonful of potassium cyanide and 

 saltpeter mixture (half and half), and plugging tightly. Another says: 

 Give the stumps a liberal application of salt, say a half-inch all over 

 the top, and let the fog and rain dissolve and soak down, and you will 

 not have much trouble with suckers. 



Planting Fruit Trees on Clearings. 



We zvish to plant orchard trees on land cleared this winter: mansa- 

 nita and chaparral, but also some oaks and large pines and groves of 

 small pines. We have been told that trees planted under such conditions, 

 the ground containing the many small roots that we cannot get out, 

 would not do well. Are the had effects of the small roots liable to be 

 serious; also, would lime or any other common fertilizer counteract 

 the bad effects? 



Proceed with the planting, as you are ready for it, and take the 

 chances of root injury. It may be slight; possibly even absent. Care- 

 full}' throw out all root pieces, as you dig the hole, and exclude them 

 from the earth which you use in filling around the roots, and in th 

 places where large trees stood, fill the holes with soil from a distanc< 

 Much depends upon how clean the clearing was. No considerabl 

 antiseptic effect could be expected from lime and the soil ought to b- 

 strong enough to grow good young trees without enrichment. The 

 pear, fig and California black walnut are some of the most resistant 

 among fruit-bearing trees, and these may usually be planted with 

 safety. The cherry is the most resistant of the stone fruits. The 

 "toadstool" disease occasionally afifects young apple trees recently set 

 out, but it is not usually serious on established trees. 



Dipping Roots of Fruit Trees. 



In planting an almond orchard tvould it be of any benefit to dip the 

 young trees in a solution of bluestone and lime dissolved? 



We doubt if it would serve any good purpose. If done at all 

 the dip should be carefully prepared in accordance with the formula 

 for bordeaux mixture, for excess of bluestone will kill roots. Healthy 

 trees do not need such treatment, and we doubt if unhealthy ones can 

 be rendered safe or desirable by it. 



Preparing for Fruit Planting. 



What effect will a crop of zvheat have on neiv cleared land, to be 

 planted in fruit trees later on? 



One crop of wheat or barley will make no particular difiference 

 with the cleared land which you expect to plant to fruit later. It 

 would be better to grow a cultivated crop like corn, potatoes, beets, 

 squashes, etc., because this crop would require summer cultivation 

 which would kill out many weeds or sprouts and leave your land in 

 better shape for planting. 



