MANAGEMENT OF NURSERIES. 1 53 



perfectly hardy and the soil is not subject to heaving by frost; 

 but, as a general rule, it is safer to do all the transplanting in 

 spring. Pear stocks should be set out very early in the 

 spring, to prevent check in their growth, and to admit of 

 budding the same season. 



The age for setting out seedlings must depend on circum- 

 stances. Yearlings, if strong and vigorous, are always the 

 best, and it is extremely desirable that they grow with suffi- 

 cient vigor to be budded the same season. If the budding 

 has to be deferred, a whole year of time, cultivation, and 

 care is lost more than enough to overbalance the additional 

 cost of the best stocks. 



Cultivation. The soil in the nursery should be kept per- 

 fectly clear of weeds and in a state of constant cultivation 

 especially during the early growth of the seedlings and young 

 trees. Hand-hoeing is expensive, and is only needed for the 

 extirpation of weeds, and occasionally, when performed with 

 a pronged hoe, for loosening the clayey soil between the trees. 

 The horse should be kept constantly going, either with the 

 plough or cultivator. Careful hands should be employed for 

 this purpose, who can run closely to the rows without injuring 

 the trees. Short whiffletrees should be used with the strap- 

 traces passing the ends as figured in a previous chapter. If 

 the plough is used it should run shallow when near the rows. 

 It is a useful implement for turning the soil away from trees 

 before hoeing out weeds ; and it may be also used for throw- 

 ing a slight covering of mellow soil against them to cover up 

 weeds as they are just appearing at the surface. 



Budding and Grafting. Root-grafting is extensively prac- 

 tised in the West for the apple. The mode of its performance 

 is described in Chapter III. In setting out the root-grafts 

 great care should be taken to pack the earth closely around 

 them. Leaving cavities below, which is not unfrequ^ntly 

 done by careless workmen, is sure to result in their failure. 

 Root-grafting the pear only succeeds when strong seedlings, 

 with well-branched roots, are taken, and the whole plant is 

 used, inserting the graft at the collar and wrapping with muslin 

 plasters. In the East, apples are budded. 



Nearly all other stocks are budded. The time for budding 

 varies much with the kind of tree, and with its condition. To 



