CHAPTER III 

 PLANTING STOCKS 



A TREE'S future depends as largely upon its beginnings as a man's 

 future upon the days of his childhood. If those beginnings are 

 sound and healthy the trend is toward health and vigour, if bad, 

 they carry the handicap, almost invariably, throughout life. This 

 is no mere figure of speech, but solid, rock-bottom fact. Bud an 

 unhealthy stock with a healthy bud ; or bud a healthy stock with 

 an unhealthy bud ; or graft a good scion on to an unhealthy stock 

 and carefully note results ; you will not then think we speak in 

 exaggerated terms when we urge the importance of a good start. 



The building up of a healthy, well-formed and productive tree 

 is a very fascinating occupation, exercising the highest faculties 

 of a man, viz. his creative powers ; and it is satisfying, in that he 

 knows he is producing a something that will " live after him," a 

 living monument to his manes, thriving and producing when he 

 himself has departed hence. 



A perfect tree begins with a good stock. Stocks should be 

 carefully selected, carefully trimmed, carefully planted in carefully 

 prepared ground ; this quadrupled care being the assurance of a 

 good start so far as that can be controlled by man. 



WHEN TO PLANT 



The planting of stocks should by preference be done in October 

 and November, and certainly finished by the end of the year. 

 Circumstances may, and do, arbitrarily interfere with those dates, 

 but every effort should be made to get round them. Planting 

 should not be deferred till spring. We insist upon this with good 

 reason. We believe everything should be done to promote a good 

 forward condition for the stock at the beginning of the season, 

 for almost invariably that very critical period, from the beginning 

 of May till mid-June, is subjected to drought or to drying cold 

 east wind, which at once imposes a check most effective on backward 

 and puny growths. Late-planted fruit stocks particularly suffer 



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