14 Fruit Culture. 



all the ground thoroughly, and considers this method essen- 

 tial to success. All his trees are low headers, obtaining 

 thereby as little trunk as possible ; the branches effectually 

 shading the trunk from the sun. There is not a wind-break 

 about the orchard. Many trees in his orchard are nearly a 

 foot in diameter, and all through the orchard can be seen 

 limbs broken off by the weight of fruit they bore. 



Mr. Anson Rudd, who commenced experimental fruit 

 culture as early as 1864, for a long time met with no suc- 

 cess ; but this did not discourage him, and he has now a 

 nice little orchard of about two hundred trees. His land is 

 level, and he keeps it in clover, believing that it is a great 

 protection. His trees grow low, many of the branches, 

 when the fruit is on them, laying on the ground. He applies 

 salt in abundance and believes that too much cannot be 

 scattered on the soil about the trunks of the trees. 



Mr. J. S. Perkey says that for the first three years an 

 apple orchard could be profitably planted to corn, besides 

 being of benefit to the trees, shading them from the sun 

 and protecting them from the wind. This prevents blast- 

 ing. He also recommends leaving stalks standing, as a 

 good winter protection, causing the snow to lodge where 

 the wind will not sweep it away. 



As regards size and age of trees, Mr. J. H. Newcomb 

 gives the following advice: Trees that have obtained the 

 height of five to seven feet, comparatively stocky, if but two 

 years old so much the better, of well-matured, ripe wood, 

 are, in my opinion, the best to plant ; younger trees are apt 

 to be not sufficiently hardened up to transfer, and older are 

 liable to have further back-set. They can easily be taken 

 up at that size and age with a tree-plow, retaining nearly 

 all of their roots, and, if they have not been hurt in hand- 

 ling, start at once. 



