174 



THE GARDEN MAGAZINE 



April, 1913 



The result of defective shaping when young. Could not carry its load 



A better distribution of strains is shown in this tree 



in form than in result. As in budding, all 

 growth is checked except through the graf- 

 ted twig. In both methods the result is 

 the same. 



The trees bought from the nursery are 

 already budded or grafted and if the nur- 

 seryman knows his business and his hon- 

 esty can be relied upon it is better for the 

 amateur to buy such stock than to attempt 

 to propagate his own trees. 



The best time to plant trees depends upon 

 the latitude. In most of the states early 

 spring is preferred. 



It is important in preparing the land 

 selected as the orchard site, to till deeply 

 and thoroughly and it is well when possible 

 to prepare the soil late in the preceding 

 autumn. If a large number of trees is 

 to be planted, it is possible while plowing 

 to make an open land furrow where each 

 row of trees is to be set, and then by back 

 furrowing, throw the earth into the trench 

 and up about the trees after they are in 

 place. 



If only a few trees are to be planted, holes 

 can be dug with the spade to a depth of 

 about one foot. 



In a full grown orchard trees should be 

 at least 30 feet apart. It is quite practical 

 however to plant trees 15 feet apart in 

 rows 30 feet apart, every other tree being 

 of an early fruiting variety which can be 

 cut out when the trees begin to interfere 

 with each other. 



Before the trees or "whips" are set they 

 should be cut back to the point where the 

 head is to be formed, say about 18 inches 

 from the ground for the home orchard. 



Consider well the form of the tree de- 

 sired and prune accordingly. Modern 

 planters prefer a low spreading tree, and 

 this is secured by discouraging the growth 

 of upright central limbs. 



Fruit trees have many enemies but this 

 should not discourage the amateur orchard- 

 ist. In many communities it is possible 

 to hire experts to spray the trees and this is 

 perhaps the easiest way, for the man with 



only a few trees, to keep them free from 

 disease. 



The trees should be sprayed at least twice 

 each year and three or four times is better. 

 The cost is slight compared to the increased 

 value of healthy trees and perfect fruit. 



The success of the trees is dependent 

 absolutely upon careful attention. 



When a tree has reached the bearing age 

 and although luxuriant and vigorous in 

 growth, shows little or no inclination to 

 blossom, fruit buds may be stimulated by 

 root pruning. This is done by digging a 

 circular trench at a distance of 4 or 5 feet 

 from the tree to a depth of about 3 feet 

 cutting all the roots encountered or in 

 reach. The trench should then be imme- 

 diately filled and the earth packed down 

 about the severed roots. 



With these principles of orcharding well 

 in mind there is no reason why any one 

 should fail of success in growing apple trees, 

 and the same general principles apply to 

 all the orchard fruits. 



Chart Your Home Grounds— By wilhelm Miller, m+ 



A SCHEME BY WHICH ANY ONE WHO KNOWS NOTHING ABOUT GAR- 

 DENING CAN MAKE HIS PLACE ATTRACTIVE THE YEAR ROUND 



I CAN sympathize with the troubles of 

 beginners. Every year thousands of 

 couples build their houses with convic- 

 tion and approach the planting prob- 

 lem with fear and trembling. One of the 

 greatest troubles is, that when any one pro- 

 poses to you any particular scheme you do 

 not know "how it will look." A water 

 color sketch can be made, but it sounds 

 expensive and is often too alluring. You 

 feel the need of some check on florist, 

 nurseryman, or landscape gardener. You 

 want to be sure the proposed plan is the 

 best. There ought to be some rational 



way by which a beginner can test the value 

 of any technical proposition, for the alleged 

 expert may not be worthy of trust. 



There is such a way. It will doubtless 

 be very disgusting to some good people who 

 proceed by short cuts, intuition and in- 

 spiration. To them any list, chart, or 

 table is dead, mechanical, dry-as-dust. 

 But perhaps they will like this story. Mr. 



H , a country gentlemen, who has 



about 150 acres not far from Philadelphia 

 wanted a formal garden, a water garden, a 

 bog garden, a rock garden, a grove, and 

 'wild garden in the woods, for his lovely place 



naturally suggested all these things. But he 

 couldn't imagine what they would look like, 

 because he did not know the appropriate 

 flowers for each location. The only thing 

 he was sure of was that he loved color and 

 wanted plenty of it everywhere the year 

 round. So his adviser showed him just 

 how he could have the best flowers for 

 each of these very different purposes for 

 every month in the year. And, wonderful 

 to relate, he got all this information 

 on a single page! Nay, more, he even 

 expressed it in the English language in- 

 stead of Latin ! 



