APPLES 
TREATMENT AT PLANTING TIME 
The treatment of apple trees at planting 
time has a very great influence upon their 
future welfare. Many orchard planters set 
trees in their permanent position with- 
out applying the least amount of rational 
treatment to them. For example, trees 
are planted in the orchard in the same 
condition as they are received from the 
nursery. At the close of the first sea- 
son, the owner is.much troubled to learn 
the reason for the poor growth, and in 
many instances the utter failure of his 
trees. 
Prune the Roots 
The amount of root-surface that trees 
have when they leave the nursery row is 
usually about half as great as they pos- 
sessed normally. Further than this, it is 
always advisable to thin out all crowding 
and interlacing roots and to cut away 
all broken ends of .those remaining. In 
the South a very severe system of root 
pruning is practiced, known as the String- 
Fig. 1. Upper Figure, A Good Root System for 
a Nursery Tree; Unpruned. Lower Figure, 
Same Root-System Shortened in for Setting. 
More Severe Pruning Would Not be Injurious. 
—Purdue Station. 
171 
fellow method, but this method is not 
practicable in the North. Nevertheless, 
apple trees require a certain amount of 
root pruning before they are planted in 
order to get the best results. The op- 
portune time to do this pruning is in the 
fall, as stated elsewhere, but where 
the trees do not arrive until spring, root 
pruning should be administered before 
the trees are planted. However, root 
pruning done in the fall, saves labor at 
planting time. 
Prune the Top 
Since the tops and roots of trees are 
mutually dependent, there is a nice bal- 
ance between these parts as they exist 
normally; consequently it appears reason- 
able to believe that where a portion of the 
roots has been removed, a similar amount 
of top should also be pruned away. In 
fact, even a greater amount of the top 
should be removed than that removed 
from the roots since the latter must be- 
come adjusted to their new quarters be- 
fore their activities begin, while the 
former experience no radical difference 
in this respect. With yearling trees, the 
necessary pruning for establishing low- 
head trees will reduce the top sufficiently. 
It is best to postpone the pruning of the 
tops until the trees have been set, at 
which time they are cut down within 
18 or 20 inches of the ground. 
The trees should be conveniently lo- 
cated for the planters before planting 
operations begin. Some orchardists prac- 
tice distributing and ‘“heeling-in’” the. 
trees in bunches near the place where 
they are needed. Other men puddle the 
trees in a.tub which is placed on a low 
sled or stone-boat and drawn by a horse 
from place to place as_ the trees are 
needed. The puddle is made of loamy soil 
mixed with water to a slushy consistency. 
Heavy clay soils must not be used for 
making puddles. The use of this pud- 
dling practice constitutes one of the safest 
and most satisfactory methods of handling 
trees in the field for the roots are not 
exposed to the air at all. 
Holes for apple trees must be large 
enough to accommodate all the roots and 
deep enough to allow the tree to set 
