282 PLANT PROPAGATION 



ceived the trees should be examined and heeled-in 

 at once. Roots should be shortened back to 6 or 8 

 inches and those broken or bruised removed with a 

 smooth cut above the place of injury. This pruning is 

 often done before heeling-in. (Figs. 149, 169.) 



The heeling-in may be done [on a large scale] by plow- 

 ing two or more deep furrows, preferably east and west, 

 so the trees can be leaned south or southwest, at an angle 

 of 30 to 40 degrees, thus to escape sun scald. They 

 should be completely unpacked, all straw and other ma- 

 terial likely to attract mice removed, and then be laid 

 along the furrow in a single row or layer. The roots and 

 a third or more of the tops should be covered immediately 

 with earth, which must be packed thoroughly around the 

 roots. This covering may be done at least partly with 

 the plow. Successive layers may be laid when needed. 

 The place should be well drained. Where there is likely 

 to be damage from mice, the whole area should be sur- 

 rounded with furrows or ridges of earth. 



379. Tree grades^ — It is greatly to be regretted that 

 the public considers mere straightness, girth and good 

 appearance the indices of nursery tree quality, because 

 this has largely helped to eliminate many of the best va- 

 rieties of fruit from the nurserymen's lists, their places 

 being taken by varieties that normally grow straight. Of 

 course, the difficulty of cultivating and handling sprawl- 

 ing and crooked trees has also helped. No economical 

 amount of care will make such varieties as Rhode Island 

 Greening and Canada Red apples or Winter Nelis pears 

 assume the straight and narrow form that Baldwin, 

 Northern Spy and many other varieties assume with min- 

 imum attention. 



Again, the demand has been for large trees, because of 

 the belief that bearing will come earlier than with small 

 ones. Unless trees have been transplanted or root 

 pruned in the nursery, this is usually an error, mainly 

 because of unavoidable root losses in digging. It is only 



