STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 29 



ground for a foot or more, fill up the hole a foot with good earth, 

 making a little mound in the centre, set your tree upon this, stretch- 

 ing out the roots carefully, having first taken care to trim any broken 

 root smoothly, and cover the roots with rich earth, shaking the tree 

 so that there shall be no hollow spaces, and then firm the ground 

 around the tree with your feet. Planted in this manner, the i-oots 

 strike out into the good loose earth surrounding them, and grow 

 rapidly. 



To have a handsome orchard it is important to attend to the form 

 of the tree when young, taking care that no branches cross or 

 rub against one another, and that light and air are admitted into 

 the top. By early attention to this, there will be no occasion ever 

 to remove large branches, and the small ones can be removed at any 

 season of the year. If, however, it is necessarv to remove large 

 branches, from my experience, I should say, do not do it in the 

 autumn. Many recommend June as the best time for pruning. No 

 doubt it is a good time, but it is a busy season, and beside, one 

 liesitates perhaps about removing a branch which is covered with 

 blossoms. I decidedly' recommend March and April as the best 

 time for a general pruning. It is a leisure time, the trees are bare 

 of leaves, and you can see better what branches to cut, and an}" 

 wounds you make will heal in half the time of those made in 

 autumn. If any branch is cut larger than an incli in diameter, it is 

 of the greatest important to cover the wound at once with paint, 

 shellac or grafting wax. There is a great difference of opinion as 

 to the proper height from the ground to have the first branches. 

 Some say six feet, so as to allow a team to pass under. The objec- 

 tions to this are, that there is great danger of the trees being uKn-cd 

 out of plumb by the wind, it is more difficult to gather the fruit, and 

 the trunk of the tiee is exposed to the sun. On the other hand, 

 others would have the trees bi-anch about three feet from tlie ground. 

 There is convenience in picking, it is tiue, but it is ditlicult to get 

 under the tree to cultivate and manure it, and in case slieep or hogs 

 run in the orchard, you will lose a good deal of fruit. I think 

 therefore a medium height is best, say not less than four, noi- more 

 than five feet. 



No one can expect to succeed with an orcliard without constant 

 atteution. Who would think of raising corn without cultivating and 

 manuring the land? And if it i)ays to do this for corn, it certainly 

 will for apples and pears. Nowliere on the farm does the use of 



