Orchard Culture — General Statements. 21 



As a rale, rather j'oung trees, provided they are large 

 enough to endure isolated planting, are preferable to older 

 ones, because they can be dug more cheaply and with less 

 damage to the roots, they can be transported and planted 

 more cheaply, possess greater vigor, can be more readily 

 pruned to an ideal type, and their first cost is usually less. 

 While such trees may begin fruiting a little later than 

 older ones, they are more likely to prove enduring, because 

 th&y commonly develop in a more neai'ly normal manner. 



Nursery trees are usually graded by size rather than by 

 age, and the size is not a sure index of the age, since some 

 varieties and some individuals of the same variety grow 

 faster than others. In a given variety, the individuals that 

 develop at a medium rate are probably preferable for fruit- 

 ing to those that develop fastest or slowest. 



24. The health and cleanness of nursery trees. Nur- 

 sery stock is liable to infection, both in roots and tops, 

 with injurious insects and diseases, and destructive para- 

 sites are sometimes disseminated with such stock. The 

 seller should be required to show certificate that his stock 

 is apparently clean and healthy. Many countries now 

 have laws requiring the inspection of nursery stock, and 

 certificates of such inspection ma}'' generally be accepted 

 as evidence that the stock covered by them is safe for 

 planting. 



25. Soil preparation for orchards. If the land is well 

 drained, and free from stumps and stones, little special 

 preparation will be necessary unless it is designed to irri- 

 gate, in which case some grading may be required. The 

 soil should be in a moderate condition of fertility, and 

 should be prepared for the trees by being well plowed and 

 harrowed. 



