General Considerations. 9 



or nursery middlemen. Since it is often impossible to dis- 

 tinguish varieties of young stock with certaint}'-, the pur- 

 chaser must depend much on the integrity and care of the 

 seller. As nurserymen are commonly more thoroughly 

 established, and have more capital invested than middle- 

 men, they are generally more anxious to maintain a good 

 business reputation. The more times the stock changes 

 hands the greater is the liability to mistakes. For these 

 reasons it is usually safer to deal directly with the growers 

 of the stock, and when considerable quantities of stock are 

 to be purchased, the middleman's commission can often be 

 saved by so doing. Traveling nursery agents are usually 

 least reliable of those who handle nursery stock, and their 

 prices are apt to be highest. 



The time to purchase stock will depend upon the time 

 the planting is contemplated, and this will naturally vary 

 with the kind of fruit and the climate. It is generally 

 best, however, to order early, while the nurseryman's as- 

 sortment is complete, and before his hurrying season ar- 

 rives. Specific orders should be given as to the time the 

 stock is desired for planting in order that the nurseryman 

 may know when to ship it. In climates of severe winters 

 it is often wise to have trees delivered in autumn for spring 

 planting, and to bury them in a well drained place until 

 spring. 



10. Wind-breaks. A wind-break is a planting, usually 

 of trees or tall shrubs, intended to break the force of winds. 

 It generally consists of one or more rows of rather closely- 

 planted trees, and is usually located to serve as a shelter 

 from the prevailing winds only. Wind-breaks are helpful 

 to the fruit plantation, as a rule, unless it is already pro- 

 tected from severe winds by natural barriers. They tend 



