33G 



GARDENING FOR THE SOUTH. 



the seed should be sown in the fall, or early winter, in good 

 soil, in rows eighteen inches apart ; transplant them in rows 

 fonr feet apart, and one foot apart in the row. If any of 

 the plants become infested with woolly aphis, wash them 

 with tobacco water. The young grafted trees should be 

 planted in the orchard when one or two years old, at dis- 

 tances of twenty-five to thirty feet apart. 



Analysis shows that one-half the ash of the bark of the 

 apple, and over one-sixth of that of the sap-wood, is lime. 



When this mineral is not abundant in the soil, the tree 

 cannot be kept healthy. Swamp muck or leaf mould, 

 composted with lime and bone-dust, or ashes, are the best 

 manures for the apple tree. The best soil for the apple, 

 in this climate, is a deep, cool, moist loam ; a northern, or 

 north-west aspect, is preferable to any other. One of the 

 greatest difficulties to be encountered in the cultivation 

 of the apple is the sun-burning of the trunk, which can 

 be prevented by training the trees with low heads, so as 

 to shade their trunks from the rays of the sun. 



By shortening in the branches of the young trees, when 

 transplanted into garden or orchard, they can be made to 

 put out branches about two feet from the ground, which 

 is about the proper height to form a good top. The 

 apple tree needs but little pruning ; removing the water- 

 sprouts and such limbs as cross each other is about all 

 that is required. 



INSECTS INFESTING THE APPLE TREE. 



Many insects injure the apple tree by attacking the root, 

 bark, wood, leaves or fruit. Of these only the most im- 

 portant can be mentioned, with the remark that many of 

 them attack other fruit trees and even forest trees. 



Apple Root-blight, {Pemphigus pyri.) — Upon the roots 

 of the apple, wart-like excrescences are found growing, in 

 the crevices of which are contained minute, yellow lice, 



