1871. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



293 



placing the plant in a rich soil, and in a favor- 

 able locality, by protecting it from enemies 

 and other injurious influences, by suitable 

 pruning and training, and by furnishing to it 

 a bountiful supply of appropriate nutriment, 

 it Avill develop itself fully, and carry its pro- 

 ducts to high degrees of perfection. The 

 same princijjles are present which are involved 

 n perfecting the breeds of animals. Like 

 begets like. By a repetition of the elevating 

 process, by planting and cultivating in the 

 same skilful manner in which we began the 

 seed or fruit of the more fully developed and 

 perfected tree or plant, we shall at length obtain 

 trees incomparably more beautiful and per- 

 fect in foi-m and fruit, than the original from 

 which they were derived. 



It is folly to attempt the roaring a good 

 orchard with trees that are in any way faulty. 

 Such as have made what growth they have on 

 a poor, starved soil ; on a soil that has been 

 too wet ; where the trees stood too thif^kly, or 

 were, from any cause whatever, checked in 

 their growth, become moss-covered and ac- 

 quired a stunted habit. Such trees are not 

 worth setting out, even if they cost nothing 

 but the setting. It is poor economy to en- 

 cumber the ground with them. Trees should 

 be grown on a good, generous soil, kept 

 growing throughout the growing season, so 

 far apart in the nursery as to allow them to 

 expand in every direction, and pruned and 

 shaped during their gi'owth, so as to be in 

 proper form for transplanting. 



An acre of old pasture, which is too stony 

 to admit of profitable cultivation for grain or 

 grass crops, will be found more favorable for 

 the trees, than smooth soils which have been 

 devoted to the common crops of the farm. 

 The old pasture soil will contain many ele- 

 ments that will give rapid progress to the 

 trees, and their rocks will give out feldspar 

 and other properties which will greatly pro- 

 mote a vigorous growth. When the trees 

 come into bearing on such a soil, the fruit, 

 also, will be found better than on more loamy 

 or sandy soils. 



The next step to be attended to in the cul- 

 tivation of apple trees, is the preparation of 

 the ground. Among good cultivators in 

 England, when trees are to be set in a row, 

 even if they are to be thirty feet apart, a 

 strip of ground about six feet wide, the whole 



length of the row, is prepared with the spade 

 from eighteen to twenty-four inches deep, and 

 made rich by the addition of compost or marl. 

 On the contrary, in this country, it is com- 

 mon to dig a hole about three feet in diameter, 

 eight or ten inches deep, and throw in a few 

 shovels full of the top soil for the tree to 

 stand on, or if the land is in grass, to place a 

 sod bottom up, under the tree. The cheapest 

 course in the end, is to dig holes five or six 

 feet in diameter, and some fifteen to eighteen 

 inches deep. Throw the top. soil on one side 

 and the sub-soil on the other. Loosen the 

 earth in the bottom of the hole with the spade. 

 Throw back the top soil into the hole, level 

 and set the tree upon it in the centre. The 

 hole, six feet in diameter, will now allow 

 ample room to spread out the roots in ever}' 

 direction, and with the greatest ease and 

 facility. Throw surface soil over the roots, 

 and work it down so as to fill all the openings 

 among them. If this is not done, air, warmth 

 and moisture will be likely to cause mould 

 about the roots and destroy them. As to 

 depth, trees should stand about as they grew, 

 when the earth is settled about them. The 

 roots should be placed, so far as is practicable, 

 in the position in which they grew, and at 

 about the same depth at which they had pre- 

 viously stood. The earth should then be 

 gently pressed about them, and the hole filled 

 to a little above the level of the surface, — 

 enough above to allow for shrinkage or 

 settling. 



We would not advise to set apple trees 

 upon a soil where water stands near the sur- 

 face in the growing season. They may live 

 and grow, but will scarcely prove profitable. 

 Some persons occupy such land with apple 

 trees because the location is just where they 

 desire it. They dig ample holes and fill them 

 to within six or eight inches of the surface 

 with small stones, cover with good loam and 

 compost manure, and raise a slight mound 

 around each tree. This moist land, especially 

 if of a heavy character, when thoroughly 

 drained, makes an excellent soil for apple 

 trees. Thirty-five feet apart is as near as 

 apple trees should stand, or thirty feet one 

 way, and thirty-five the other, leaves a good 

 space for teams to pass through. 



Every good tree, properly taken up and set 

 as we have described, may be reasonably ex- 



