PLANTING STOCKS 13 



upon the cultivation it receives in these initial stages, and we feel 

 that it is our duty to emphasize this here and now. Fruit stocks 

 are not like young forest trees, with coarse thong-like roots calcu- 

 lated to bore their way through clay boulders and such-like impedi- 

 menta ; we would not let them develop such roots if they could 

 but their root-system is, or ought to be, a mass, or network, of 

 slender fibres, not thicker than a knitting needle so fine that 

 they turn away from solid earth and worm their way about in open, 

 warm, and congenial soils. It is these fine roots we do our best to 

 encourage, for it is these which produce the fruit buds. They 

 come to the surface, or very near it, to feed, imparting tone and 

 solidity to the growth, and render vast economic services to the 

 future tree. We insist, that to develop this to its utmost, the fruit- 

 stock bed should be as carefully prepared as a flower bed, for when 

 this is done such a splendid root-system is built up that it can face 

 and resist more than a " peck " of future troubles. 



There is often a tendency on the part of some stocks, more particu- 

 larly the " free " pear-stock, to develop two, three, or even more, 

 strong anchorage roots. Where it is so, they should be shortened 

 back at planting time ; and, indeed, this may also be done to advan- 

 tage with the finer roots where they happen to be long. But let 

 the cutting be done clean, with a sharp knife, and not too drastic 

 half the length being taken as an approximate guide. 



Do not plant deeply. If the crown of the root-system that is, 

 where the stem develops into root be 2 or at most 3 inches 

 below ground, that should suffice for anchorage and for the with- 

 standing of drought. So, in cutting out the trench in which to 

 plant, the cut should be 6 inches deep. Fruit is not budded so close 

 to the root as roses are, but all the same, the less of a leg there is 

 the better. There are, of course, exceptions, where the buds 

 (mostly of stone fruit) are put in standard high, but our remark 

 about the shortness of leg holds good as a general rule. Another 

 reason against deep planting is, that we want the roots to be, in the 

 main, surface roots, and there can be very little point in putting 

 them deep down to make them come up again. 



The distance apart at which to plant varies somewhat with the 

 character of the stock and the form of tree it is desired to produce. 

 Let us take the apple as a typical stock. If we plant paradise 



