The Right Way to Buy and Plant a Fruit Tree— By w. H. Jenkins, 



New- 

 York 



A LARGE percentage of the fruit 

 trees planted each year never lives 

 to bear fruit. Generally the loss is due 

 solely to wrong planting and subsequent 

 neglect. Of course the best beginning is 

 to get good thrifty trees. 



Plant in early spring before the leaves 

 start. Buy your trees from the nearest reli- 

 able nursery, and preferably where climatic 

 and soil conditions are similar to your own. 

 This may not be practical, and you must 

 then rely on the established reputation 

 of a given nursery. Order what are called 

 No. i, two-year-old trees. Culled trees 

 graded as Nos. 2 or 3 are usually crooked 

 and less vigorous. If you are near a 

 nursery go there and pay for the privilege 

 of making your own selections. If the 

 order is a small one have the trees shipped 

 by express; then there is no danger of 

 delay and injury from frost or drying 

 out. 



Plan to have the trees shipped to arrive 

 when the soil is just right for working. If 

 possible plant the trees on the highest 

 ground on the place. A dry knoll or 



Put a few spadefuls of fine surface soil in the bottom 

 of the hole 



sloping land is generally perferable to low, 

 moist, rich soil; but even if the soil has 

 to be artificially drained and specially 

 prepared, have a few fruit trees, any way. 

 Land on which cultivated crops were grown 

 the previous year is best, plowed as early 

 in the spring as the surface soil will crumble 

 in the hand. 



In the small fruit garden, where plowing 

 is not easy, trees are best planted by dig- 

 ging holes with a spade. For the family 

 orchard, plow and harrow, then open deep 

 furrows, so as to plant the trees in check 

 rows twenty to forty feet each way, 

 forty feet for apples, thirty for pears 

 and peaches, and twenty for cherries and 

 plums. 



When the trees arrive, if you are not 

 ready to plant at once, unpack them and 

 "heel in," keeping roots moist until per- 

 manently planted. This merely means 

 that the trench is opened, the roots put 

 in and loosely covered with earth. When 

 ready for planting take a few trees from 

 this trench and keep the roots covered 

 as much as possible while planting. First 

 root-prune — it is generally best to cut back 

 the longest roots at least one-third with a 

 clean slanting cut from below upward and 

 outward, so that the exposed surface 

 easily gets in contact with the soil. Also 

 cut off all broken roots. Spade out the 

 hole a little larger than the diameter of 

 the roots and scatter a few spadefuls of 

 fine, rich surface soil in the bottom of the 

 hole. Place the tree in the hole, scatter 

 more of the fine surface soil over the roots, 

 working it around them with the hand, 

 and lifting the tree a little to get the soil 

 all around the fine roots. When the hole 

 is partly filled press the soil down over 

 the roots with the feet. If the soil is 

 dry, pour a few quarts of water very slowly 

 into the hole, and shovel in soil around 

 the tree so that it is planted a little deeper 

 than it stood in the nursery, or just above 

 the place where the tree was budded. 



Press the soil again around the tree with 

 the feet and place over it a mulch of 

 straw or something that will hold moisture, 

 perhaps a foot deep and three feet in 

 diameter, and hold in place with stones. 

 The last thing to do is to head the tree 

 back to the shape desired. One must be 

 governed in this, somewhat, by the shape 

 of the tree when received from the nursery. 

 Two to four feet is the best height for the 

 low headed tree in the family orchard, 

 for it is more easily pruned, sprayed, and 

 the picking is facilitated. 



During the first summer keep watch 

 to see if the mulch stays in place around 

 the tree, and if the summer is very dry, 

 pour a little water on the mulch occa- 

 sionally. It is much better to grow some 

 crop between the trees the first year or 

 two, the cultivation and fertilizing re- 

 quired by the crop, putting the soil in good 

 condition for the root growth of the trees 

 in succeeding years. It is always safer 

 to protect young trees with a good fence, 

 for my experience is that some will be 

 broken down unless so protected. 



Root-prune the tree before placing it in the centre 

 of the hole 



Draw some soil over the roots to hold Then, place some fine surface soil Firm well with the feet close around 

 the tree erect around the roots the trunk 



166 



Slowly pour on a few auartp of water, 

 and mulch 



