APPLES 
(Bs 
OEE SS RES 
ee A me: 
Fig 2. Where Winds Are Strong, Lean the 
Tree Towards the Prevailing Wind. 
Many trees that have been set on orchard 
sites exposed to the prevailing winds il- 
lustrate the need of using this precau- 
tionary measure, for where they were 
set straight they are now found to lean 
greatly away from the wind. 
J. R. SHINN, 
Moscow, Idaho. 
Root Pruning 
In digging the tree at the nursery all 
of the roots are cut off considerably. 
Many of those that remain are more or 
less bruised. At the time of transplanting 
all of these bruised roots must be cut 
off. In placing the tree in the hole it 
usually advised that the roots be spread 
out flat. Then put some soil in and raise 
the tree a little. In humid sections where 
irrigation is not practiced it is advisable 
to pack the soil very thoroughly around 
the roots. In our irrigated regions we 
do not consider this so very necessary for 
the reason that immediately after the 
trees are transplanted they are irrigated. 
If there are any air spaces left between 
the soil and the roots the irrigation water 
will pack the soil around the roots. 
To meet the loss of roots due to trans- 
planting the tree it is necessary to re- 
move part of its top. The amount to be 
cut depends on how high we wish to start 
L738 
the scaffold limbs. This must be decided 
by the grower himself. As a rule for 
New Mexico conditions we recommend low 
headed trees. For such trees the scaf- 
fold limbs ought to start out about 12 
to 18 inches from the ground. Do not 
neglect cutting back all newly trans- 
planted trees. 
FABIAN GARCIA, 
Santa Fe, N. M 
Shade the Trunk 
Most nursery trees are grown close to- 
gether, some six to eight inches apart in 
the rows. The tendency is to produce slen- 
der stems, and unbalanced tops. The 
nurseryman is forced to produce his trees 
as cheaply as possible Aside from the 
result of crowding mentioned, the trees 
shade the trunks of their neighbors con- 
siderably. The tendency is to cause a 
softer and more tender growth. The sud- 
den exposure when such trees are planted 
out singly for the orchard must be trying 
to the tree. This is one reason why the 
trunks of newly set orchard trees should 
have their stems protected immediately 
by the strips of wood veneer now much 
used. These may be had of all basket 
factories at about $4.50 to $6 per 1,000. 
They should be wired on loosely and left 
till they rot off. When the tree gets large 
its own branches will shade the trunk, 
and they will then be inured to their new 
position. There is some advantage, it 
will be seen, in one-year trees, since they 
have suffered less by shading and crowd- 
ing each other in the nursery row, be- 
; sides being cheaper and coming out with 
less mutilation of the root system. Young 
trees are commonly considered preferable 
because in digging there is less mutila- 
tion of the roots. The writer is convinced 
that the point above suggested is quite 
as important, if not more so. Jt seems 
hitherto to have escaped the attention of 
writers dealing with this subject. In 
setting the trees all mutilated roots 
should be cut off smoothly by a cut from 
below outward. If the ground has been 
properly prepared, the hole need be only 
sufficient to receive the roots in a natural 
position, placing the tree as a rule as 
deep as it stood in the nursery. Few 
