40 VARIETIES AND NURSERY STOCK 



There are certain advantages for really local trees, such as 

 less freight to pay, less drying out of trees in transit, and per- 

 haps the nurser^onan feeling his responsibility more if the 

 customer can call him up by 'phone or drop in and see him per- 

 sonally. But the argument of " acclimated nursery stock " has 

 certainly been overworked. Apparently the tree has the ability 

 during the first growing season to entirely adapt itself to the 

 new surroundings. It has not grown long enough in the milder 

 cMmate to make any permanent change in its life processes. But 

 whatever the scientific explanation may be, the writer is 

 thoroughly convinced of the fact that it makes little or no differ- 

 ence where the tree was grown so far as climatic conditions are 

 concerned. What does make a difference is having good, thrifty 

 stock in good, fresh condition when set. 



Age of Trees. — On the second point, age of trees that is best, 

 there seems to be quite a difference of opinion, the ideal of differ- 

 ent men ranging from one to three or even more years. Very 

 few men, however, want a tree over two years old. It is chiefly 

 a question of one year or two year trees. Personally the writer 

 is rather strongly in favor of the one year tree, when soil con- 

 ditions are good, for the following reasons: 



, (a) It costs less. Out of a long list of nurserymen whose 

 prices were compared, the difference in favor of one year trees 

 was from nothing to $15 per hundred with an average of $6.50. 



(&) The freight is less. This is not an important matter but 

 is worth considering, particularly when the stock comes a long 

 distance. 



(c) Only thrifty trees are salable at one year; that is, a tree 

 must be a good, growthy plant to reach a salable size in one year. 

 This is certainly important. It is doubtful if a stunted tree 

 ever becomes as vigorous and thrifty as one which has never had 

 a set-back. 



(d) The tree can be headed at any desired height while the 

 two year tree has had its head formed by the nurseryman and it 

 is difficult to change this height. This argument is especially 

 important where one wants very low heads, as the writer does. 

 If one attempts to form a veiy low head, say 18 inches, on a two 



