56 THE APPLE. 



the month of August, varying from early to late in month, as the 

 location is South or North, and the season early or late. 



By layers and cuttings. This course is only pursued to increase 

 the quantity of stocks of the Paradise apple on which to dwarf 

 varieties. Some growers, however, west, have reputation for increas- 

 ing largely, and making fine saleable trees more rapidly by means 

 of layers, than otherwise : we have never seen them. 



Cutting of Scions. These may be cut at any time from the fall 

 of the leaf in October, to the swelling of the bud in spring 

 always, however, taking care that there is no frost in the wood at the 

 time of cutting. We consider the best time late in the fall, when 

 they may be packed in moss, damped, and wrapped in oil silk, laid 

 in a cool cellar, where they will usually keep well until spring. The 

 wood of the past season's growth is that required, and best to cut, if 

 possible, from bearing trees. When the cuttings are not made until 

 toward spring, a black and diseased appearance at the pith will oft 

 be seen in those of vigorous growth. This, while it would, perhaps, 

 be of no moment on the original tree, sometimes is thought to lessen 

 the vitality and success of the scion. 



Selection of Trees from a Nursery. Trees of thrifty, not over 

 luxuriant habit, five to seven feet high, three years from bud or graft, 

 with branches from three feet up, well formed into rounded heads, 

 are worth double the price of trees six years old. ten and twelve 

 feet high, without a branch within eight feet of the ground. It 

 should, however, always be recollected by the purchaser, that all 

 varieties have not the same habit and regular form of growth ; that 

 while a nursery-man can supply a tree of the Baldwin, straight, and 

 just to the fancy, he may often find it difficult, nay, impossible, to 

 do so with the Fall Wine, American Pearmain, and many other 

 varieties at the same age. All this should be remembered by 

 the purchaser, and in his selection be guided more by the stocky 

 pyramidal form of the stem, and the position of branches, rather 

 than height of tree. 



Influence of Climate and location. Climate, as we have said on a 

 previous page, has no farther influence than to enhance maturity and 

 vigor as we go South ; but location, in its preventing of injury from 

 frosts or severe cold, is quite another thing, and deserving the 

 attention of every planter. Too often do we see orchards planted 

 out in the rich level valley of a farm, when the hills around are 

 . neglected. Too often on small farms is this done also, to the loss 

 comparatively of the best piece of plow land, when, had the planter 

 known that trees planted on his hills would have been more hardy, 

 and have produced fruit five years to every three when grown in the 



