140 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



oats are off, so that the oats and weeds will start before frost, then 

 cross-plow very deep — ten inches — late in the fall and plank thor- 

 oughly at each plowing ; then in the spring stick a small stake where 

 each tree is to be put ; then take a piece of board six inches wide or more 

 and six feet long, cut a notch in the middle to fit the tree and stake, 

 then bore a hole near each end to put two stakes in (exactly the same 

 distance from the notch and in line with the notch) ; set the notch 

 against the stake ; where the tree is to be, put a stake in each hole ; 

 then pull the stake in the notch and put the tree in the notch and 

 mark at least six inches outside the roots ; take up the board and dig 

 your hole ten inches deep or more. Replace the board, put the tree 

 in the notch pointing to the sun at two o'clock, and fill with the top 

 soil that has been freezing and thawing the past winter. See that the 

 roots are well straightened and no part that is not well filled with fine 

 earth. If the ground is very dry, a bucketful of water will do no 

 harm, rather helpful, but cover the wet soil with dry. If the ground 

 was not plowed the last time ten inches deep, it better be spaded that 

 deep for four feet around the tree; leave a small basin around the tree 

 to take the rain and sun. If it is very dry at any time in summer 

 scrape away the earth an inch or two deep and water freely and then 

 cover all the wet dirt to prevent baking. Trim back one-third of 

 last year's growth. Sprinkle the tops often with water to prevent the 

 bark from withering and keep the buds soft. And you will find 

 much more fruit and sooner, than plant where the ground is in a crude 

 state. 



Old orchard pruning late in winter or early in spring ; thought 

 and method are required to produce good results. I have seen valu- 

 able orchards that were really killed by bad pruning; also, orchards 

 that really died for want of proper pruning; here perhaps many will 

 hiss, but hiss as you will, it is a fact that if too many large limbs are 

 left on a tree, it soon puts the foliage too far from the roots to keep 

 the bark soft, so the tree becomes hide-bound and all is over. The 

 surface where the limbs are cut off should be left to dry for five or ten 

 ten days before coating, not sooner. Never prune when the sap is 

 flowing, as the cuts do not dry well, and in some instances keep sap 

 running until summer, when insects infest and hinder healing. 



Approach the tree on the northeast side ; trace around to the left ; 

 future relation of each branch should be studied, as affected by growth, 



