10 SUCCESSFUL FRUIT CULTURE 



WHERE TO OBTAIN TREES 



If the orchardist or planter is not skilled in the 

 art of growing trees in the nursery — and some do not 

 have this skill — ^it will be best to buy trees of reliable 

 and long-established nurseries as near home as possible. 

 If possible, the stock should be seen in the nursery, 

 especially if large numbers are to be planted, and full 

 understanding be had as to how and when the trees 

 are to be delivered. We would not advise the purchase 

 of trees from irresponsible nursery agents, for, while 

 there are honest nursery agents, these men, as a class, 

 are generally looked upon as unprincipled, often because 

 of the difficulty in coming at a clear understanding 

 between the agent and purchaser, which largely arises 

 from the fact that the agent does not show his goods 

 nor sell by a sample even, but secures his orders from 

 gaudy colored plates that are generally the most hor- 

 rible exaggerations. In many cases the agent is almost 

 entirely ignorant of the varieties of the trees or plants 

 he sells and will tell almost any story in order to sell 

 his goods. For the above reasons it is best to send 

 orders directly to reliable nurseries, where one will be 

 sure to receive courteous treatment, and orders be filled 

 in the best possible manner. The man who can care for 

 an orchard with success, who can grow young trees 

 after they have been set in the orchard, can grow young 

 trees for planting, and it is often a greater advantage 

 to have a small nursery in connection with all large 

 orchards, though as a rule the trained nurseryman can 

 grow trees cheaper and bett<3r than the customer. 



PREPARATION OF THE LAND 



If the land is free from stones, so that it can be 

 easily plowed, it will pay to work it fifteen inches deep 

 by following the ordinary plow with the sole or trench 



