DO NATURE AND ITS 



The trees are best at three years old, or five to six feet 

 high, strong and at least two inches in diameter near the 

 roots. If you buy them by the thousand you can get them 

 for about ten cents each. When you plant them cut off all 

 the broken roots and trim all the branches almost like a 

 whip. This will put all the strength in the roots where 

 otherwise it would be in the branches, and the tree would 

 die when hot weather came on. In planting, put in two 

 handfuls of wet oats around the roots. This will start the 

 fibre roots and you will be surprised to see the trees grow. 

 The toats sprout around the roots and this starts the tree 

 roots to grow. Don't fail to do this. Now, if you have no 

 black loam on your orchard, haul some in and throw a few 

 shovel fulls in each hole after the oats are around the roots. 

 Put in a little fruit and root crop fertilizer over the black 

 soil, stamp the ground hard over the roots so no air can get 

 to the roots, then shovel in the rest of the soil. Water each 

 tree if the soil is dry. If the soil is wet it is not necessary. 



Mulching Trees. 



When the tree is planted, heap up the soil around it, put 

 straw or wild hay around the tree, and put stones on the 

 straw to keep it from blowing away. The straw prevents 

 the sun and air from drying out the soil at the roots. It is 

 impossible to grow fruit trees unless you do this. Trim the 

 trees down like a whip, this is one of the secrets of success. 

 You should also cultivate them at least six feet on each side 

 of the trees. Run a plow on each side and then harrow it 

 level. Do this three or four times every summer up to 

 August. You must cultivate trees to make them grow 

 quickly, and it will surprise you in a few years to see those 

 ten to twelve foot trees bearing fruit. Plum trees will have 

 fruit two years after planting, peaches in two years, cherries 

 the fourth year and apples in six years. To get peaches, 

 trim the branches down for three years to get a good trunk, 

 then let the branches out. In Indiana, Illinois, Michigan 

 and Wisconsin, it is customary to mulch the trees heavily 



