262 A YEAR IN AGRICULTURE 



man will know that the young trees should not be dug until 

 the leaves have nearly all fallen, for this means that the buds 

 are well ripened and that the wood is hard and mature. 



Age of trees. Whether it is better to buy straight whips 

 one-year-old or more expensive two-year-old apple trees on 

 which the main branches are already started, is an unsettled 

 question. Professor Alderman, Horticulturist of the College 

 of Agriculture of West Virginia, -writes on the subject as 

 follows : 



"The advantages in favor of the smaller trees are: first, 

 cheapness ; second, small root systems which will require only 

 a small hole at planting time ; third, the head may be formed 

 at any height to suit the grower's fancy; fourth, the root 

 systems receive less injury in digging than do those of larger 

 trees. 



"The advantages of the two-year-olds are: first, trees with 

 well-formed heads may be selected, thereby insuring uniform 

 and symmetrical orchard trees; second, they will probably 

 reach bearing size a year sooner than a one-year-old tree; 

 third, it is easier to detect crown gall or hairy root upon 

 them than upon yearlings. 



"Between the first-class trees of both ages the two-year-old 

 are the more desirable. It is, however, sometimes difficult 

 to get good two-year-old trees because the nursery block has 

 been sorted over the previous year and the best trees sold as 

 yearlings. Between a first-class- yearling and a second grade 

 two-year-old, the younger tree would undoubtedly be the 

 better. Never buy three or four-year-old trees, because these 

 are the culls of previous years which were so weak and small 



