174 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF PRACTICAL HORTICULTURE 



planters appreciate the importance of 

 working the soil in among the roots next 

 the axis. The fingers answer the require- 

 ments of the case better than any imple- 

 ment, or the foot. There should be no 

 cavities among the roots, and provided the 

 soil is sufficiently dry to work it can 

 scarcely be pressed too firmly about the 

 roots. Firmness of the soil about the 

 roots encourages the movement of capil- 

 lary water towards the tree. 



In land with compact subsoils the dig- 

 ging of large holes to be filled with loose 

 rich earth, as is sometimes practiced in 

 small plantings, is to be avoided. Holes 

 in such lands become receptacles for seep 

 water. Better not plant such land until 

 tiled, or if used the holes should be filled 

 with the soil removed. I have seen trees 

 planted, principally for home use, in such 

 land where the soil was built up slightly, 

 making a shallow mound where the tree 

 is to stand. The roots of the tree are 

 then set on the slight mound. The ob- 

 ject is plain. Ordinarily we should use 

 for orchards only lands which will admit 

 of level culture. 



Ernest Walker, 

 Fayetteville. Ark. 



First Summer 



The orchardist should be sure to keep 

 his trees growing vigorously during the 

 first summer, as this is the most vital 

 period in the history of an orchard. It 

 is highly essential that the trees have a 

 good start before mid-summer, in sections 

 where irrigation is not practiced, for sum- 

 mer drouth is likely to prove fatal to 

 trees of low vigor and slow growth. 

 Thorough tillage is imperative for the 

 best success, whether the orchard be irri- 

 gated or not. Conservation of moisture 

 in the soil and aeration of the soil are 

 the main results to be attained by this 

 cultivating. To this end any crop grown 

 in the orchard the first summer should be 

 one that requires frequent cultivating. 

 Such crops as small fruits, potatoes, to- 

 matoes, melons, etc., are therefore, well 

 adapted to young orchards, while the 

 grain and pasture or meadow crops should 

 be avoided. Tillage should be continued 

 until about the first of August when it 



is well to sow some leguminous cover ci'op, 

 such as hairy vetch or Canada field peas. 

 Sown at this time or a little later, these 

 crops will make sufficient growth to form 

 a mat over the surface of the ground; 

 and while making this growth they will 

 aid materially in ripening the wood for 

 the following winter. Moreover, such 

 crops will prevent the washing and leach- 

 ing of soils during winter and when 

 plowed under the following spring will 

 add as much organic and fertilizing mat- 

 ter to the soil as a small coating of 

 manure would furnish. 



The stubs which the orchardist has left 

 after planting soon become covered with 

 shoots issuing from every bud. The prop- 

 er treatment of these shoots is an impor- 

 tant consideration. Some rub off all the 

 shoots as they appear, excepting four or 

 five which are left for the scaffold limbs. 

 A better practice consists in rubbing off 

 only the lowermost shoots, leaving about 

 ten shoots to form leaves and to grow 

 throughout the year. In allowing more 

 leaf-area a greater growth of root system 

 is promoted since the two parts are mu- 

 tually dependent. The thinning out and 

 the selection of the scaffold limbs is a 

 task for the following spring. 



Diseases and Insects 



Diseases and insects are likely to make 

 their visitation upon the young orchard 

 during the first year. The orchardist must 

 be ever watchful for their appearance and 

 be read.v to shorten their stay to the 

 minimum. Anthracnose on the trunk and 

 shoots and scab on the leaves are likely 

 to be the most serious diseases; while 

 the apple borer, the green aphis and the 

 San .Jose scale are most prominent in- 

 sects. Timely application of the best 

 ))reventives and remedies for these pests 

 is the only safeguard. Careful and fre- 

 quent observations is the rule for suc- 

 cess in dealing with such opponents. 



J. R. SlIINN, 

 Moscow, Idaho. 



Pruning First Tear 



This is perhaps the most important of 

 any year during the life of a tree because 

 it determines where the head of the tree 

 shall begin to form. We advocate low 



