PLANTING IN THE NURSERY. 



CHAPTER III. 



THE APPLE NURSERY. 



SOIL PLANTING BUDDING TIME FOR BUDDING HOW TO BUD 



UTENSILS AND MATERIAL EMPLOYED POINTS TO BE OB- 

 SERVED IN BUDDING NURSERY CULTURE FORMING THE 

 HEAD 



SOIL. The soil best suited for the growth of nursery trees 

 should be deep, rich and moist, and be plowed to the depth of at 

 least 15 inches. The seedling for budding should be dug as soon 

 as the frost is out and the land will work mellow. After short- 

 ening the tap roots and some of the laterals a little, plant in rows 

 four feet apart, and from six to eight inches apart in the row. 



PLANTING. After the land is thoroughly prepared and made 

 smooth, a line is stretched and the seedlings (if the roots are not 

 much branched) are planted with a tool called a 

 dibble (Fig. 4). "Where the soil is made mellow 

 to a depth of more than one foot, seedlings, root- 

 grafts, and cuttings may be very rapidly planted by 

 the use of this tool. If the roots of the seedlings or 

 root-grafts are much branched, they must be planted 

 by opening a trench with a spade or plow, as deep 

 as required to have the top bud just above the sur- 

 face of the soil. The most important part of the 

 operation of planting seedlings, root-grafts or long 

 cuttings is that the soil be very firmly pressed about 

 the lower ends. This may be done by the foot, or, 

 much better, by the "tamper" (Fig. 5). This con- 

 sists of a piece of two-inch plank cut with a base 

 of about six to eight inches, and tapering up to 

 three inches wide at the top, in which is inserted a 

 hoe or fork handle. 



BUDDING. After planting, the seedlings require very little 

 care, except good cultivation and a little pinching to force the 

 growth into one main stem, until August, when they are to be 

 budded with the variety desired for the orchard or for sale. 



The best time for budding the apple is generally the last of 



V 



Fig. 4. 



