188 



THE GENESEE FARMER. 



in jnst the condition they happen to find them. All 

 this, and more than thift, is true of at least one half 

 of those who purchase fruit trees from nnrserymen. 

 And herein may be found the principal " cause of 

 the failure of so many trees sent out by nursery- 

 men." 



But the nurserymen themselves are sometimes at 

 fault. When their business presses, they hii'e raw 

 hands, who, if not closely watched, take up trees 

 very much as a farmer would dig uj) a stump, or as 

 a physician would extract a tooth While visiting 

 an extensive nursery in Rochester, we saw a deaf 

 " son of Erin" ordered to take up a Norway spruce. 

 He gathered the beautiful branches in his hands, 

 and pulled as for very life, till the proprietor or- 

 dered him to stop. Nurserymen, as well as the 

 " rest of mankind," should do no more than they 

 can do well. 



When we consider the very general ignorance of 

 the wants and habits of fruit trees, the wonder is, 

 not that so many die, but that so many live ; and 

 of the number that live, many might as well die, 

 for they are so poorly put out, and in such unsuita- 

 ble soil, that they wUl never flourish. 



"A book is a book, though there's nothing in it," 

 — so a tree may ie a tree, though there's nothing on 

 it ; but from all such trees, we should pray to be 

 delivered. * f. * 



1st. Many of the trees are grown on highly ma- 

 nured ground, and consequently forced into an un- 

 naturally rapid growth. For which cause the wood 

 is not sufficiently ripened to withstand the severe 

 frosts of winter, even when not removed from the 

 nursery ; much less are they able to bear the addi- 

 tional shock of being removed, perhaps to a new 

 (and more severe) climate, with most of their 

 fibrous roots cut off with the spade by careless or 

 incompetent hands. 



2nd. The manner in which the trees are pre- 

 pared, or perhaps I ought to say not prepared, is 

 doubtless one of the principal causes of so many 

 failures. How often do we see farmers, and in fact 

 all manner of planters, cutting off all the lower and 

 better ripened branches of trees they are about to 

 plant, thereby leaving the body of the tree unpro- 

 tected against the sweeping winds of winter or the 

 scorching rays of a summer's sun. Whereas, if the 

 top and side branches had been properly shortened 

 in, the rough winds of winter would have less pur- 

 chase or force on them, and the sun less scorching 

 effect in the summer. Many times, too, are the 

 roots of the tree left just as tliey came from the 

 nursery, bruised and torn, (necessarily, more or 

 less,) to recover as best they may. 



3rd. The improper preparation of the ground is, 

 I apprehend, a serious cause of failure. How many 

 trees are thrust into the ground with just enough 

 of the soil removed to crowd the roots into the hole 

 dug out for the same, and then the whole amount 

 of covering trod or pounded down until it bakes so 

 hard that neither air nor water can reach its roots ? 



4th. The staking, too, should be attended to, that 

 when the tender roots start anew, seeking to nour- 

 ish the tree above them, they may not be broken 

 off by the wind moving them to and fro. 



5th. Very many trees are lost for the want of 

 being properly mulclied. Too many planters, alas ! 

 do not even know what to do when told that they 

 should mulch their newly planted trees. Of course, 



they could not have been readers of the Genesee 

 Fao'mer. 



Cth. Again, many trees are killed by the new and 

 tender foliage being eaten oft' by the various insects 

 and worms that infest them in the spring and early 

 summer. 



7th. The api^le and peach-borer should come in 

 for a part of the blame — too often, I am sorry to 

 say, already in the tree when it comes from the 

 nursery. II. S. II. — RoanoTce^ Huntington, lad. 



Perhaps one of the greatest causes of failure is 

 the general ignorance of the physiology and culture 

 of plants. The careless observer of nature find;? 

 little more to interest him, in the root, stem and 

 leaves of a tree, than he does in a stake, and in all 

 Iirobability Avould plant each with about the same 

 care. But to the mind of the student of nature, 

 how very different! Instead of seeing in a tree 

 only one homogenous mass, he sees a living, organ- 

 ized being, composed of solid and fluid parts, having 

 vessels of different kinds, variously fitted to carry 

 on the operations of imbibing nourishment, of 

 making a chemical analysis of the same, and of ap- 

 propriating to themselves such elements f>s are ne- 

 cessary to promote their health and vigor. 



The first cause of failure, after trees are purchased 

 for planting, is the careless manner in which that 

 operation is usually performed, viz : planting in land 

 sowed to grass — planting too deep — planting where 

 water will stand about the roots — neglect of cul- 

 ture — not protecting the trees from severe freezing, 

 protracted drouth, mice, rabbits, &c,, &c. In short, 

 not planting in a good, deep, finely pulverized soil, 

 with the roots spread out in a natural manner, and 

 no deeper than they grew in the nursery, — shorten- 

 ing the top in proportion as the tree may have roots, 

 — keeping the ground mellow and free from weeds, 

 — pruning but little, cutting off" only decayed, cross- 

 ing or straggling limbs. If the latter practice was 

 followed as much as the former, I think we should 

 hear fewer complaints of failure. 



I would suggest to planters to purchase none but 

 good trees ; buy only of responsible men ; buy those 

 trees only that are budded or grafted on good, free 

 growing seedlings, that are worked just above the 

 " collar," or surface of the ground, with scions from 

 young and healthy trees, and cultivate as before 

 suggested, and my word for it, there wiU not be so 

 much complaint about failures. Jas. P. Kelly. — 

 Middle Greek, Ky. 



I HAVE taken trees from nurseries and trans- 

 planted with entire success, and think I can do it 

 again. My rule is this : — Take them up in a damp 

 day, (I care not whether fall or spring ;) leave on 

 all the roots practicable, and dirt likewise; carry 

 in a spring wagon, and avoid rubbing as much as if 

 I were carrying new furniture. Make the soil as 

 nearly like the parent soil as possible, and make a 

 generous hole for the tree, but do not use much 

 manure. I also set as soon as possible after procu- 

 ring the trees. D. M. — Moscow, iV. Y. 



I THINK the chiet reasons of failure are — 

 1st. Carelessness in taking them up, the roots 

 being often cut short and bruised, and the conse- 

 quence is, they are stunted or die. 



2nd. A want of proper care in packing them. 

 The roots become dry from exposure in transporta- 

 tion. J. Catt, — Gheviot, Ohio. 



