20 THE AMERICAN APPLE ORCHARD 



outlined. Such tests every man can make with his own 

 hands and eyes. 



HOW TO GET TREES 



When a man starts into orchard planting he has to 

 have trees. These he can either propagate for him- 

 self or buy from a nursery. When large commercial 

 oichards are projected it is possibly best to undertake 

 the propagation of the necessary nursery stock on the 

 premises, providing the delay thereby incurred is not 

 too serious an objection. The advantage of propa- 

 gating at home is not so much that the trees are se- 

 cured more cheaply, though there is something in that, 

 as it is that they may be had when wanted and that 

 their history is always known. The planter secures 

 varieties which are true to name. They are the kinds 

 he has chosen. They are propagated from reliable 

 stock. He knows the entire history of every tree, and 

 this is often of importance. There is a considerable 

 advantage, too, in having trees at hand at planting 

 time. There are no delays in shipping, no damage 

 to trees in storage, and the stock is on hand when the 

 ground is ready, the holes dug, and the men prepared 

 to plant. 



Now that the San Jose scale has come to be a fac- 

 tor in orchard planting in certain districts, there is 

 an added advantage in having home-grown trees. 

 Nursery stock bought from a grower in another 

 neighborhood or state often requires fumigation. 

 Either one must run the risks of fumigation or else 

 the danger of infection from the scale. Both these 

 risks may usually be avoided by home propagation. 



