APPLES 



171 



TREATMEM AT PLANTING TIME 



The treatment of apple trees at planting 

 time has a very great influence upon their 

 future welfare. Many orchard planters set 

 trees in their permanent position with- 

 out applying the least amount of rational 

 treatment to them. For example, trees 

 are planted in the orchard in the same 

 condition as they are received from the 

 nursery. At the close of the first sea- 

 son, the owner is much troubled to learn 

 the reason for the poor growth, and in 

 many instances the utter failure of his 

 trees. 



Prune tlie Koots 



The amount of root-surface that trees 

 have when they leave the nursery row is 

 usually about half as great as they pos- 

 sessed normally. Further than this, it is 

 always advisable to thin out all crowding 

 and interlacing roots and to cut away 

 all broken ends of those remaining. In 

 the South a very severe system of root 

 pruning is practiced, known as the String- 



Fig. 1. Upper Figure. A Good Root System for 

 a Nursery Tree ; TJnpruned. Lower Figure, 

 Same Root-System Shortened in for Setting. 

 More Severe Pruning Would Not be Injurious. 

 — Purdue Station. 



fellow method, but this method is not 

 practicable in the North. Nevertheless, 

 apple trees require a certain amount of 

 root pruning before they are planted in 

 order to get the best results. The op- 

 portune time to do this pruning is in the 

 fall, as stated elsewhere, but where 

 the trees do not arrive until spring, root 

 pruning should be administered Ijefore 

 the trees are planted. However, root 

 pruning done in the fall, saves labor at 

 planting time. 



Prune the Top 



Since the tops and roots of trees are 

 mutually dependent, there is a nice bal- 

 ance between these parts as they exist 

 normally; consequently it appears reason- 

 able to believe that where a portion of the 

 roots has been removed, a similar amount 

 of top should also be pruned away. In 

 fact, even a greater amount of the top 

 should be removed than that removed 

 from the roots since the latter must be- 

 come adjusted to their new quarters be- 

 fore their activities begin, while the 

 former experience no radical difference 

 in this respect. With yearling trees, the 

 necessary pruning for establishing low- 

 head trees will reduce the top sufficiently. 

 It is best to postpone the pruning of the 

 tops until the trees have been set, at 

 which time they are cut down within 

 18 or 20 inches of the ground. 



The trees should be conveniently lo- 

 cated for the planters before planting 

 operations begin. Some orohardists prac- 

 tice distributing and "heeling-in" the 

 trees In bunches near the place where 

 they are needed. Other men puddle the 

 trees in a tub which is placed on a low 

 sled or stone-boat and drawn by a horse 

 from place to place as the trees are 

 needed. The puddle is made of loamy soil 

 mixed with water to a slushy consistency. 

 Heavy clay soils must not be used for 

 making puddles. The use of this pud- 

 dling practice constitutes one of the safest 

 and most satisfactory methods of handling 

 trees in the field for the roots are not 

 exposed to the air at all. 



Holes for apple trees must be large 

 enough to accommodate all the roots and 

 deep enough to allow the tree to set 



