Management of Nurseries. 



care is to be taken that the hole be entirely and closely filled, and 

 that no cavities are left among the roots below. If the weather be 

 dry, it will be well to immerse the roots previously in mud ; and in 

 any case but few plants should be left exposed to the air at a time. 



If the seedlings be valuable, as those of the pear, or have broad 

 branching roots like the French Quince, they should be set out with 

 a spade a trench being previously cut by the line for this purpose, 

 or a straight furrow made by a skilful ploughman before the line is 

 stretched. One man holds each successive seedling by the hand, 

 placing it close to the line, while the other covers the roots with a 

 spade, moving backwards in the row. 



Seedlings may be set out in the nursery row in autumn if per- 

 fectly hardy and the soil is not subject to heaving by frost ; but, as a 

 general rule, it is safer to do all the transplanting in spring. Pear 

 stocks should be set out very early in the spring, to prevent check 

 in their growth, and to admit of budding the same season. 



The age for setting out seedlings must depend on circumstances. 

 Yearlings, if strong and vigorous, are always the best, and it is ex- 

 tremely desirable that they grow with sufficient vigor to be budded 

 the same season. If the budding has to be deferred, a whole year 

 of time, cultivation, and care, is lost more than enough to overbalance 

 the additional cost of the best stocks. 



Cultivation. The soil in the nursery should be kept perfectly 

 clear of weeds and in a state of constant cultivation especially dur- 

 ing the early growth of the seedlings and young trees. Hand-hoe- 

 ing is expensive, and is only needed for the extirpation of weeds, 

 and occasionally, when performed with a pronged-hoe, for loosening 

 the clayey soil between the trees. The horse should be kept con- 

 stantly going, either with the plough or cultivator. Careful hands 

 should be employed for this purpose, who can run closely to the rows 

 without injuring the trees. Short whiffle-trees should be used with 

 the strap-traces passing round the ends as figured in a previous 

 chapter. If the plough is used it should run shallow when near the 

 rows. It is a useful implement for turning the soil away from trees 

 before hoeing out weeds ; and it may be also used for throwing a 

 slight covering of mellow soil against them to cover up weeds as 

 they are just appearing at the surface. 



Budding and Grafting. Root-grafting is extensively practised by 

 nurserymen for the apple. The mode of its performance is 

 described in the chapter on the apple. In setting out the root 

 grafts great care should be taken to pack the earth closely around 

 them. Leaving cavities below, which is not unfrequently done by 



