appj.es 



141 



his neglect of known duties, and the in- 

 different care on the part of the agent or 

 tree dealer, were eliminated, the remain- 

 ing loss could be carried by the nursery- 

 man very gracefuljy. The instructions 

 given in this article are designed to elimi- 

 nate much of the worry and financial 

 loss of the beginner. 



Many suggestions here made will apply 

 to any part of the country. They are 

 written, however, expressly to meet con- 

 ditions in the Rogue River valley. Oregon. 



Go Properly Prepared to Receive Stock 

 Before going to the nursery or freight 

 office for your stock first provide yourself 

 with canvas, horse blankets, or something 

 of that nature sufficient to properly protect 

 the roots from drying or chilling while 

 returning home, unless the weather is 

 very favorable — a mild foggy day, for in- 

 stance. The orchardist will have little 

 trouble if he will always remember that 

 a tree, although dormant, is alive and 

 must be handled as a living plant. 



Examine Stock Carefully When Received 



On receiving nursery goods examine 

 each bundle, and, if necessary, each tree 

 carefully. Note the condition of the plants 

 and see that each bundle is properly 

 labeled, refusing any stock that has a 

 badly mutilated or insufficient root sys- 

 tem, and trees that show signs of having 

 been dug while immature. Trees which 

 have been removed from the nurserj' row 

 prematurely will show signs of withering 

 at the extreme tips, and soon after the 

 first little freeze will develop a dark spot 

 in the center of the soft terminals. A 

 cross section of the main roots will show 

 this same dark spot in the center if the 

 stock has been subjected to frost or other 

 abuses. Roots of trees that have suffered 

 from exposure will also show a brownish 

 coloring between the bark and woody part 

 of the root, although the outer portion 

 of the root may appear uninjured. 



If damaged stock is received at freight 

 office, proper care should be given the 

 goods and a prompt report made to the 

 party from whom the goods were received. 



A Common Error 



Too much emphasis cannot be placed 

 upon the necessity of heeling in the plants 



immediately upon arrival at the farm. 

 They should tinder no circumstances be 

 left out over night. This is the stumbling 

 block over which many fall. Stock left 

 exposed over night may receive either 

 little or no injury, or may be either badly 

 damaged or ruined, according to the 

 changes that take place in the tempera- 

 ture. The labor involved to properly pro- 

 tect the stock is so trivial that no one 

 can afford to take the risk. 



Heeling-In Xnrserj- Good:i 



Seek out a spot of well drained soil, 

 sandy loam if possible, where no harm 

 can come to the trees by the farm stock 

 browsing or otherwise mutilating them. 

 Spade a trench about a foot wide and two 

 spades deep, leaving the loose dirt at the 

 bottom. Govern the length by the amount 

 of stock to be taken care of. Separate 

 the stock so that all the bundles of each 

 variety may be kept together. 



Cut the lower string on the bundles 

 as the roots are placed in the trench, 

 standing the bundles at an angle of about 

 45 degrees and spreading the trees some- 

 what so the roots may be more readily 

 covered with the dirt from a second 

 trench. 



When the first trench has been filled 

 with trees begin again as in the first 

 place by cutting a trench close to the 

 roots of the trees just placed, being care- 

 ful to see that all the earth removed 

 from the second trench is worked well 

 around and over the roots of the trees 

 in the first, allowing the dirt to cover 

 a few inches of the base of the trees 

 and repeat until all the stock is heeled in. 



Care should be exercised in heeling in 

 small plants, such as strawberries, to 

 avoid covering the crown of the plant, 

 and a light covering of leaves or some 

 such protection should be given them. 

 Roots and bulbs should 'be entirely cov- 

 ered with earth and stakes placed to 

 properly mark their location or they 

 should be packed in moss and kept in a 

 cool but frost-proof building. 



Pruning and Preparing Stock for 

 Planting- 

 Care should be exercised to not bend 

 the stock unnecessarily while being re- 



