CHAPTER VII 

 THE AFTER TREATMENT OF NURSERY STOCK 



WHETHER or not a desirable nursery tree can be pro- 

 duced in one or two years from the bud or graft will depend 

 upon two things: first, the particular kind of fruit and 

 second, upon the length of the growing season. Where the 

 average length of the growing season runs from ninety 

 to one hundred and twenty days, two years will be neces- 

 sary for most lands. This would include most of the region 

 of the United States lying north of the cities of New York, 

 Chicago and Denver. South of these cities the season is 

 long enough that all of the more rapid-growing fruits will 

 develop in one year from bud. Even such trees as the Per- 

 sian Walnut will often grow from six to nine feet in a single 

 year from grafts. This would seem at first thought to give 

 the south a big advantage in the economy with which 

 the work can be done. While this may be true in specific 

 cases, the advantages are more than offset by the greater 

 number of insects and diseases that have to be contended 

 with. 



Summer Culture. The culture of nursery trees does 

 not differ in any material way from many of the farm 

 crops. Clean cultivation is necessary. All weeds are 

 kept out and the soil stirred enough to conserve the mois- 

 ture. The most important part of the work is to make 

 the young trees keep a steady and regular growth through- 

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