294 THE FLORIST AND 



Preparation of the Plant.— To prevent the apple trees from becoming 

 tap-rooted, many prune the roots to half their length, and thus almost make 

 cuttings of their plants, the starting of which becomes more difficult, slower, 

 and less perfect than would be the case if the roots were preserved. 



Distance usually left between the Plants. — It is an error to suppose that 

 the more plants we put in a given space, the more trees really deserving the 

 name of such, we shall have. The apple tree, which should remain from se- 

 ven to ten years in the nursery, in order to acquire the necessary strength 

 for being finally planted, requires a great deal of air and light to develop its 

 stem and head, and a sufficient extent of ground to allow it to form good roots. 

 In a nursery where the plants are too close together, as, for example, 2 feet 

 between the rows and 12 to 15 inches between the plants in the rows, we of- 

 ten obtain only badly rooted trees with slender drawn-up stems, no thicker 

 at bottom than at top ; or, as is most frequently the case, some trees more 

 vigorous than the rest get the ascendancy, and stop the growth of their 

 neighbors, which they eventually annihilate. In this case, he who has planted 

 1000 plants is fortunate if he get 500 or 600 trees, we do not say very good 

 ones, but merely passable. 



Rearing the Plants and forming the Stem. — If a straight stem is not in- 

 dispensable to the formation of a good bearing apple tree, it is at least ne- 

 cessary for new plantations in straight rows ; and in all cases it is more eli- 

 gible. Now, to obtain straight stems requires yearly attention to pruning, 

 pinching oif, and bending to a right position, &c. These operations should 

 be skilfully performed; but such is rarely the case. In nurseries which are 

 not totally neglected, the shoots which come on the stem are all taken off, 

 and that generally at too early a period. As these shoots, or more strictly 

 speaking their leaves, were intended to increase the size of the stem, the pre- 

 mature destruction of the shoots, and the consequent privation of leaves, 

 prevent robust, straight growth, and thence come those trees that have bend- 

 ing, weakly stems, and which are more especially too slender at the base. 



Neglect of matters relating to Grafts. — Cleft grafting, although most used, 

 has several defects. In order to perform the operation, the stem must be 

 cleft from side to side, and this cleft is a chasm which the sap cannot close 

 up in a single year. By neglecting to keep it constantly covered, the intro- 

 duction of water is permitted, decay of the wood follows, and this, continual- 

 ly spreading towards the interior, shortens the life of the tree, and renders 

 it more liable to be broken or uprooted by high winds, because the rottenness 

 extends to the large roots, which, from that cause, cannot offer any resist- 

 ance. Grafts are often broken by the wind, or by large birds. This is an- 

 other result of negligence in the grafters, who should always protect the 

 grafts by fastening to the stock, with osier, a rod to which the young shoots 

 from the graft could be secured as they proceed in growth. 



