65 



not be permitted to become dry. After a few weeks in storage 

 the wounds will be calloused or practically healed, and the 

 grafts are now ready to set in nursery row as soon as the 

 ground is in condition to receive them. This healing of the 

 wounds in storage, while not absolutely necessary, the ama- 

 teur will yet find very desirable. 



Setting out the Grafts. — The grafts should be set out as early 

 as the ground can be fitted. Prepare the soil by deep plowing 

 and frequent harrowing to fine it. Lay off the rows 3 to 4 

 feet apart. Make a dibber by sharpening a round stick. It 

 should be about 1 to 1| inches in diameter by 10 to 12 inches 

 long. Since the finished grafts are 7 to 9 inches long they 

 will require a hole 6 to 8 inches deep. Push the dibber in 

 the soft earth to the required depth, withdraw it and insert 

 the graft, holding it so that one bud only remains above 

 ground level. Again insert the dibber alongside the hole 

 containing the graft and by a sidewise pressure on top firm 

 the soil about the graft. Firm the soil about the top by 

 pressing down with the hands and proceed to set the next 

 graft. The grafts- are set 12 to 15 inches apart in the row. 



By careful fertilizing and frequent cultivation a large per 

 cent of these grafts will be made large enough to transplant 

 after the first season's growth, or they may be left to make a 

 second season's growth in the nursery row. They are now 

 known as two-year-old trees, and should be removed to their 

 permanent position in the orchard. 



Repairing Girdled Trees. 



Mice, rabbits and other rodents cause considerable loss each 

 year to the fruit growers of Massachusetts. During periods of 

 deep snow and scarcity of other food these animals resort to 

 the bark of young trees. The work of mice is generally con- 

 fined to the base of the trunk, since they live beneath the 

 snow. Rabbits, however, may do serious injury not only to 

 the trunk but also to the branches of low-headed trees. 



Sometimes the bark is gnawed off in irregular patches, but 

 more often a partial or complete girdling results. These 

 girdles may be relatively narrow, extending up and down the 

 trunk for a distance of 1 to 3 inches, but frequently they are 



