166 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF PRACTICAL HORTICULTURE 



and supply any moisture to the tree un- 

 til the spring. Evaporation from the tree 

 is going on all the time. The moisture 

 given off by the tree has to be replaced 

 by the roots. If the roots have not been 

 established they cannot supply this mois- 

 ture which is being evaporated. The 

 longer this condition exists the more the 

 tree will suffer. The roots of spring 

 planted trees do not lie in the ground as 

 long as those of fall planted trees be- 

 fore they begin to grow. The drier the 

 fall and the winter the greater will be 

 the evaporation and the more likely the 

 tree is to suffer. On the other hand in 

 mild climates tall planted trees very fre- 

 quently start small roots which may sup- 

 ply moisture to the tree during the win- 

 ter. Where trees do that fall planting is 

 better, but where they do not spring plant- 

 ing is preferred. In the Mesilla valley in 

 Southern New Mexico fall planted trees 

 frequently start a few roots soon after 

 being transplanted. Taking everything 

 into consideration spring planting is bet- 

 ter for New Mexico conditions. 



Fabia?? Garcia. 

 Santa Fe. N. M. 



Upper Mississippi Valley 



For the Upper Mississippi valley, spring 

 is the preferable time for planting. Trees 

 which have been disturbed in the fall 

 by transplanting are more subject to root- 

 killing the following winter. The work 

 should be done early in the spring in or- 

 der that the roots may have time to be- 

 come re-established before the hot and 

 often dry weather of July and August. 

 In planting all mutilated roots should 

 be cut back and any diseased portion cut 

 away. If the root system appears to be 

 unhealthy the tree should be discarded, 

 as It is a mistake to plant anything put 

 strong, healthy specimens. 



A. T. Erwix, 



.\mps. Iowa. 



Lower Snalie River Valley 



In the fall and winter of 1910-11 the 

 Lewiston-Clarkston Improvement Com- 

 pany planted at Clarkston, Wash., 1,000 

 acres of apple trees. Mr. W. B. Lanham, 

 horticulturist for the company, states: 



"We started planting the first of De- 

 cember and finished about the first of 



April, planting whenever the weather 

 would permit. The time of transplanting 

 seemed to make quite a difference in the 

 growth the trees made this season. The 

 first planted made at least twice the 

 growth of those set out last, with a grad- 

 ual graduation between." 



Conditions were practically the same for all 

 plantings except that Decemher planting was 

 made after a wet November. More rain fell 

 during that month than during the five months 

 succeeding. The precipitation for November 

 was 3. .51 inches, between 0.3 inch and 0.75 

 inch for the next five months and 1.8(! inches 

 in May. No water was used in planting and 

 the trees were not irrigated later. The ground 

 froze that winter to a depth of about two feet. 

 — Ed. 



Fall or Spring Planting 



(.Michigan) 



The advisability of fall or spring plant- 

 ing depends upon several conditions. Fall 

 planting has the advantage over spring 

 planting in that the trees become firmly 

 established in the soil before winter sets 

 in, and are able to start growth in the 

 spring before the ground can be marked 

 and put into condition for planting. This 

 is important because the trees get a good 

 growth in the early part of the season, 

 before the summer droughts occur. On 

 the other hand, there is more or less dan- 

 ger from winter injury during a severe 

 winter or from drying out of the trees 

 if the winter is long or dry. Pall planting 

 is much more successful with the hardy 

 apples and pears than it is with the ten- 

 der plums, cherries and peaches. In Michi- 

 gan it is seldom safe to plant peaches, 

 sweet cherries or apricots in the fall. 



The convenience of the season will de- 

 termine in a majority of cases whether 

 or not the planting shall be done in the 

 fall or spring. Very often the rush of 

 spring work induces the grower to hurry 

 his planting, or to do it carelessly, and 

 as a result a poor stand is secured, with 

 crooked rows. Others have large crops to 

 harvest in the fall, and would find it more 

 convenient to do the planting in the 

 spring. If there is any doubt as to the 

 best time to plant, let it be done in the 

 spring, and as early as the ground can 

 be gotten into proper condition. 



O. K. White, 



rield Agent in Horticulture. Michigan Agri- 

 cultural College Experiment Station. East 

 Lansing, Atich. 



