36 BIGGIE ORCHARD BOOK 



The safest way when buying fruit trees is to dip them in the 

 lime-sulphur mixture before setting them or heeling them in. 

 Do this as a matter of precaution against the San Jose scale 

 louse. The best way to fight this pest is to fight it from the very 

 beginning. 



Farm Journal says : ' ' The other day we saw Peter Tumble- 

 down on his way home with a load of loose fruit trees from a local 

 nursery. The wind was blowing, the sun was hot, the trees were 

 unprotected by even a blanket. Next year Peter will be finding 

 fault with the nurseryman because the trees are no good." 



How not to plant trees : " Dig a hole, do not trouble about its 

 depth -R.OT the space that will be required for the roots. If the 

 soil consists of brickbats, it will do ! Select a tree that is sure to 

 be too big for its place in a short time. You can then cut off its 

 branches and make it look like a real work of art, such as a 

 clothes-prop or a gibbet. Plant the trees as thickly as possible, 

 and forget to thin them out. You will then produce an imme- 

 diate effect, and you will have the satisfaction of witnessing a 

 fight and appreciating a struggle for existence. Having planted 

 your tree, stake it in such a way that the stem may be snapped 

 off; this will give the wind something to do. Never think of 

 removing the stake or loosening its ties that would involve too 

 much trouble. Avoid placing any guard around the newly- 

 planted trees. In this way you will provide fodder for your 

 neighbor's horse, which will graze contentedly on the bark ; 

 and you will provide healthful amusement for the boys, who 

 will playfully score the bark with their knives." My good wife 

 Harriet clipped these rules from an old publication, and "she 

 says that they are full of "contrary usefulness." 



