40 Fruit-growing in Arid Regions 



of equal size; varieties vary in their habits of growth. 

 Do business with the agent who works your territory 

 annually rather than with the itinerant tree-peddler 

 or with distant nurseries advertising cheap stock. The 

 business of the nurseryman is not always lucrative, and 

 you can generally rely upon his business ability to give you 

 no more than you pay for. Do not expect the inspector 

 to interfere with the agent who attempts to deliver trees 

 that are not up to grade, or stock that is in bad condition 

 from causes other than the attacks of insects or of plant 

 diseases, for that is not his business. The buyer must 

 settle those differences with the agent himself. 



Care of Nursery Stock 



Trees are often delivered by the nurseryman before 

 the grower is ready to plant, and in such cases the recipient 

 should know how to handle them. To keep the trees 

 from drying out and, if planting must be delayed, to keep 

 them in a dormant condition, are the ends to be attained 

 in caring for nursery stock. 



The stock should be unpacked as soon as it is delivered, 

 for if stored in large bundles it may heat and the buds 

 may start. If the stock is to be heeled-in out of doors, 

 a spot should be chosen where the trees will be in the shade 

 most of the day. Here a trench is dug, and, after cutting 

 the bundles open, the roots are placed in the trench and 

 covered with well-broken soil, which should be thoroughly 

 shaken in among the roots. The layer of trees should not 

 be thick, and they should be placed at right angles to the 

 trench in preference to being inclined with the trench 

 with the tops overlapping. If space will not permit of 



