226 



PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OF PRUNING 



due to digging, and therefore to decrease the danger of loss of trees 

 and to secure a better growth. 



The experiment was started in the spring with two lots of El- 

 berta trees. One lot consisted of trees which had been dug the 

 previous fall and kept in a large nursery storehouse. Such trees 

 are nearly always drier than freshly dug trees. It was planned to 

 compare these with a lot of freshly dug trees, but the latter lot be- 

 came badly dried out because of improper handling by the nursery- 

 man before they were delivered, the bark upon many of the trees 

 being badly shriveled at the time of delivery. This, however, fur- 

 nished an equally good comparison, although from another stand- 

 point. 



Thirty-five trees of each grade were selected making five trees to 

 each pruning treatment. The roots were left in the form in which 





*, 



FIG. 192 SPLENDID TYPE OF LOW-HEADED, SPREADING ENGLISH WALNUT 



they came from the nursery except that any broken tips were cut 

 off cleanly. They were all planted the same day in good soil and 

 were given good culture throughout the season. 



At the close of the growing season and after the foliage had 

 fallen, notes were taken as to the number of living trees, and 

 measurements were made of the linear twig growth upon each 

 tree. There were 175 of the stored trees at the time of planting, 

 :*5 each of five grades. All lived eoccept one in the -V^-inch grade 

 which had been pruned to 30 inches. One tree of the ~x-inch grade 

 was slightly injured in cultivation and was not averaged with the 

 others of the 12-inch treatment. This experiment shows practically 



