42 VARIETIES AND NURSERY STOCK 



seems as important with apple trees or pear trees as with cabbage 

 plants or celeiy plants, where it is recognized as being of practi- 

 cal importance. 



Older Trees. — On the other side of the question the writer 

 has never seen but two arguments. The first and most important 

 one is that the older trees will come into bearing more quickly. 

 Personally we should want considerably more evidence than is at 

 present available before accepting this. And, second, there seems 

 to be a feeling among the advocates of the two year tree that 

 they are getting more for their money. When they get an 

 orchard of two year trees set out it makes some showing, while 

 these little, one year whips, particularly when headed at eighteen 

 inches, certainly do not look imposing. There is, however, one 

 type of conditions under which the two year tree will usually give 

 better results than the one year, and that is where the soil con- 

 ditions (fertility, humus content, moisture, etc.) are poor. 

 Under these conditions the tree will grow but little, yet since 

 the head of the two year tree is already formed the result is not 

 serious. With the one year tree, however, the poor growth is 

 likely to result in poorly distributed branches which can never 

 be made to form a satisfactory head. 



The Best Size or Grade of Trees, — On this point the writer 

 is quite decidedly in favor of the medium grade or size, say a 

 four foot, one year tree or a five to six foot two year tree. The 

 big, overgrown tree is apt to have poorer buds on it, particularly 

 if it is to be headed low, and it costs much more (Fig. 10), On 

 the other hand, the trees of very small size are not thrifty and 

 are frequently not as well shaped. 



What Price Shall We Pay? — Enough to insure well-grown 

 and well-packed stock. There is no economy in stock which is 

 cheap in both price and quality. On the other hand, there is 

 no use in paying the prices that are frequently asked. Of 

 course, it is assumed that any man who has ambition and 

 sense enough to want to plant out a large orchard will have 

 too mucli sense to buy his stock from a tree agent. Where one is 

 setting only a half dozen trees he can perhaps stand the prices 

 of these agents, but even then he can probably do better to buy 

 direct from the firm. 



