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338 



THE ILLIIN^OIS FARMER. 



•without turning it up. For this purpose 

 the Michigan double or subsoil plow is 

 used. The ground being thus thorough- 

 ly prepared, let it lie so till time to set 

 the trees. Since the severe winters we 

 deem it unsafe to recommend planting 

 in the fall. Though the fall season is 

 the better time*to procure your trees, 

 they should be buried till spring ; but in 

 case they have been procured in spring, 

 (and it should be early,) the first thing 

 to be done after unpacking is to exam- 

 ine the roots, and if in good order, cut 

 ofl* smoothly with a sharp knife, from 

 the under side all the roots that have 

 been bruised or mangled in taking up ; 

 also, shorten, in the same manner, all 

 the long and straggling roots to eight or 

 ten inches. Next, have a hole in the 

 ground a foot deep, filled with mortar 

 or grout, made of equal parts cowdung 

 and clay, into which plunge the roots, 

 so as to give each one a coating of the 

 mortar. Dig a trench, in which place 

 the trees, in a sloping position, with the 

 tops to the north ; cover the roots se- 

 curely; and let them so remjin till the 

 Duds begin to burst into leaf. In this 

 position the sap will flow more readily 

 and the leaves put forth earlier than if 

 they had been planted at once in the 

 upright position ; and there is a material 

 advantage in having the trees started 

 before setting, provided they are care- 

 fully handled in the removal. 



Trees not exceeding three years old 

 are considered safer to remove than 

 those that are older. They should be 

 thrifty, well grown, stocky, with low 

 heads and sufficient roots. The proper 

 time for planting will be indicated by 

 the buds bursting and showing the 

 poinis of the leaf half an inch long or 

 so. The ground may then be harrowed 

 smooth. In the next place it must be 

 squared exactly, if you would have the 

 rows range in every direction. Procure 

 as many stakes as you have trees to set 

 —straight corn stalks or hazle rods 

 three feet long. If your ground is 

 square, by carefully measuring you can 

 set the stakes so they will range perfect- 

 ly. The proper distance apart is about 

 thirty fees, or about fifty trees on an 

 acre. The planting is very much facili- 

 tated by the use of a very simple con- 

 trivance, called an index board, or "re- 

 place.'' Take a strip of board, say six 

 feet long, five inches wide and one inch 

 thick, saw a notch in each end and one 

 about the middle, on the edge, and it is 

 made. By its use one can plant alone, 

 without an assistant to hold up the tree 

 or sight. Procure two or three dozen 

 pegs, six or eight inches long, lay the 

 board down by the side of the stake so 

 it will fit into the middle notch, then 

 stick a peg down in each notch at the 

 ends, raise the board and proceed as be- 

 fore, till you have pegged a row or two 



of stakes. With the spade mark out 

 the size of the hole around the stake as 

 its centre. The hole may be three feet 

 wide and some eighteen inches deep. 

 In digging the hole the subsoil or under 

 clay should be thrown aside. Fill the 

 hole, partially, with rich top soil and 

 tread it firmly, to keep the tree from af- 

 terwards settling down. Put down the 

 board again and fit it on the pegs, set 

 the tree in the middle notoli, let the top 

 incline a little to the southwest. Spread 

 out the roots in their natural position, 

 let them be but an inch or two deeper 

 than they stood in the nursery, with the 

 fingers compress upon the rich, moist 

 soil around and amongst all the roots, 

 fill up with rich mold to the top and 

 tread it firm around the tree. Finish 

 the planting by using the under soil or 

 clay to make a mound around the tree, 

 three or four inches high, and grade it 

 down to the edge of the border. By 

 following out these simple rules your 

 planting will be done on "scientific prin- 

 ciples.'' If the weather should be dry 

 after planting, water thoroughly once, 

 and cover the border around the tree 

 with old straw or litter two or three 

 inches deep. This will keep in the 

 moisture and keep down the weeds at 

 the same time. 



So soon as the sap begins to flow free- 

 ly, shorten all the leading brunches and 

 shoots, by cutting back at least half the 

 previous season's growth. With careful 

 cultivation there is not, perhaps, a mure 

 favorable crop amongst small trees the 

 first year than corn, as it affords them 

 about the requisite shelter from the 

 fierce sun and the strong winds. The 

 corn should not be planted nearer to the 

 trees than four feet, and it is better to 

 cut it up in the fall for feed in order to 

 get the stalks off the ground. The in- 

 sects that require watching, even the 

 first year, are the leaf roller, the aphis, 

 the slug worm, the various tribes of cat- 

 erpillars, and occasionally the tobacco 

 worm. As most persons are familiar 

 with all these and their various capaci- 

 ties for mischief, it is deemed unneces- 

 sary to describe them here, but we would 

 exhort the tree planter to keep a sharp 

 look-out for them and promptly destroy 

 or remove them from the tree. The 

 trees, if not mulched, must have clean 

 culture, but will not need a touch of the 

 knife the the first season. Before win- 

 ter sets in a small, sharp mound of 

 leached ashes or soil should be raised 

 around each t-ree, say six or eight inches 

 high. This will brace the tree some- 

 what and prevent the tree from harbor- 

 ing at the root. A few strong weeds or 

 split corn stalks, two and a-half feet 

 long, stuck in the ground around the 

 tree and tied at the top will keep both 

 mice and rabbits from gnawing the bark. 

 A coating of long manure, three or four 



inches deep, will protect the roots from 

 the severity of the winter and enrich 

 the ground. This should be removed in 

 the spring, also the mound from the 

 root. So soon as the bud begins to 

 burst wash the trunk and main branches 

 with strong lye, applied with soap suds 

 every two weeks till midsummer. This 

 practice continued through subsequent 

 years will more effectually ward off the 

 apple borer than any other method we 

 have yet tried. A very good plan is to 

 give the trees an annual coating of soft 

 soap, diluted witli water. It should be 

 put on before the leaves appear in the 

 spring. For the second, third and 

 fourth years it is better to plant the 

 ground with potatoes, vines, or some 

 other low running crop. Cultivate tho- 

 roughly till midsummer, but do not stir 

 the ground later. 



The great secret of success in raising 

 HARDY TREES is to push them forward 

 as early and as fast as possible for the 

 first half season and to check them up 

 in the latter part, to permit the trees to 

 horden up their wood and buds and pre- 

 pare for Avinter. This is more effectually 

 done by sowing oats thickly around the 

 tree about the middle of August, but if 

 not carefull}' removed before winter it 

 will harbor the mice. The second sum- 

 mer a little attention should be paid to 

 the training and forming of the head, 

 but the knife should be used with discre- 

 tion. Often more injury results from 

 injudicious pruning than from any other 

 barbarity, excpt the sowing of small 

 grain or timothy seed among the trees. 

 The adoption of the latter course will 

 insure success, if you wish to murder 

 your orclicvrd by inches, especially if 

 applied before the trees are ten years 

 old. Cut while the branches are small 

 and the vigor of the tree will not be 

 sensibly checked. Take out the limbs 

 that are likely to cross and thin out the 

 clusters, train the top into a low, spread- 

 ing, well balanced head, with an open 

 centre. A very little trimming each 

 year will be required to form the head 

 into the required shape, without the ne- 

 cessity of cutting out a branch of over 

 half an inch in diameter ; but if a larger 

 one should be taken off the wound 

 should be covered with a coat of graft- 

 ing wax or white lead paint. The 

 " ground suckers'' should be taken close, 

 as often as they appear. The side 

 shoots may bo shortened, but should not 

 be cut off close till the tree has acquired 

 a steady, tapering trunk. In close 

 trimming make a smooth cut, outside of 

 the ring or swell at the base of the shoot 

 or branch and parallel with it. In a 

 prairie orchard, especially, the lower 

 limbs should not exceed three feet from 

 the ground, on an average; some should 

 be lower, and some may be higher, ac- 

 cording to the character of their growth. 



