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BETTER FRUIT 



Page 63 



VALUABLE INFORMATION ON WASHINGTON TREES 



BY PROFESSOR W. S. THORNBER, AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION, PULLMAN, WASHINGTON 



DURING the past fifteen years the 

 Sta-te Experiment Station tested a 

 number of shade, forest and orna- 

 mental trees on the college campus and 

 in the station forest plots. As a result 

 of these investigations much valuable 

 information relative to the behavior of 

 these trees has been compiled. These 

 results entirely disprove the theories 

 and advice of many early settlers, who 

 feel that it is useless to plant trees as 

 they will die anyway, or if you do plant 

 there is nothing better to plant than the 

 Lombary poplar or box elder. The Lom- 

 bary poplar and box elder, as the early 

 missionaries of introduced tree life, have 

 served their purpose well, and now 

 should give way to the more permanent 

 and valuable trees. More than one hun- 

 dred trees have proven themselves valu- 

 able for our conditions here in the state. 



One of the most serious drawbacks to 

 more general planting has been the diffi- 

 culty of securing suitable stock at a rea- 

 sonable price. This may be overcome in 

 a measure by growing one's own trees. 

 While this plan is not generally recom- 

 mended it is feasible, especially where 

 the farmer has a suitable piece of land 

 and time to care for the plants. It usu- 

 ally costs more to grow them than 

 equally as good or better trees can be 

 bought for from the nursery. 



Willows, cottonwoods and aspens can 

 be easily propagated from cuttings made 

 from the present year's growth taken 

 any time while the trees are dormant. 

 These cuttings should be about seven 

 inches long, and if made in the fall 

 should be stored until spring, or, better 

 still, planted at once in the nursery. The 

 only precaution necessary is to set them 

 down to the top bud and make the soil 

 very firm around their bases. 



The seeds of most of our common 

 trees, such as maples, ash, oak, catalpa, 

 box elder, etc., ripening in the fall of the 



"Hawkeye 

 Tree Protector" 



Protects your trees against 

 I rabbits, mice and other tree 

 gnawers; also against cut 

 worms, sun scald, and skin- 

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 is but a trifle. The value 

 of one tree is more than the 

 cost of all the Hawkeye Pro- 

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 for prices and full description. 

 Burlington Basket Co. 

 STATE AGENTS 



G. M. Westland, Wenatchee, Wasli. 



Fair Oaks Nursery Co., Traverse City, Mich. 



Welch Nursery Co., Madison, Ala. 



Chas. Reyburn, Earl Fruit Co., Placerville. Cal. 



Parker Bros. Nursery Co., Fayetteville, Ark. 



C H. Webster, The Dalles, Oregon 



F. F. Powell, Stevensville, Mont. 



Humphrey Nurseries, Humphrey, Neb. 



•Geo. F. Hall, Wendall, Idaho 



Brown Bros. Nursery Co., Rochester, N. Y. 



Elizabeth Nursery Co., Elizabeth, N. J. 



H. C. Baker, Route 2, Tunkhannock, Pa. 

 O. K. Nurseries, Wynnewood, Okla. 

 Jefferson Nursery Co., Monticello, Fla. 

 J. A. Hess, Salt Lake Citv, Utah 

 Denver Nurseries, Denver, Colo. 



Frank Brown & Son Co., Paynesville, Minn. 

 Elm Brook Farm Co., Hallowell, Me. 



year, should be gathered and mixed with 

 an equal amount of sand, thoroughly 

 moistened and stored in a cool cellar or 

 on the north side of a building, where 

 they will remain moist all winter long. 

 Very early in spring they should be 

 planted in nursery rows from one to two 

 inches deep, and the soil packed very 

 firmly around them. Another plan is to 

 gather and plant at once, which is best 

 where there is no danger of the seeds 

 being molested by squirrels and birds, or 

 being thrown out by the alternate freez- 

 ing and thawing of winter weather. 



The seeds of elm, red and white maple 

 ripen the last of June and must be 

 gathered and planted at once or mixed 

 in moist sand or moss and kept moist 

 until planting time, while box elder, 

 catalpa, green and white ash may be 

 gathered when ripe, dried out and stored 

 in a dry, cool place and planted in spring. 



The seeds of honey locust, black locust 

 and the coffee bean tree are always slow 

 to germinate unless hastened by scald- 

 ing. When ready to plant these seeds 

 pour boiling water over them and permit 

 them to remain in it until the water has 

 cooled. Sift or pick out the swollen 

 seeds and repeat the operation for the 

 remainder. Seeds treated in this man- 

 ner must be planted at once in moist soil 

 or they will soon perish. 



Evergreen seeds require more care and 

 skill than the deciduous trees. No one 

 should attempt to grow evergreen seed- 

 lings who has not plenty of time and at 

 least most of the conveniences for caring 

 for them. The soil for the seed bed 

 should be sandy and moist, available 

 water for watering handy and some pro- 

 vision for shading. The rhore common 

 plan is to plant the seed beds four feet 

 wide and of indefinite length. Two or 

 more beds may be established side by 

 side with four-foot paths between them. 

 Sow the seeds, making the soil very 

 firm around them, and construct some 

 sort of a shade that will cut off about 

 one-half of the sun's rays. This may be 

 lath frames set two feet above the beds, 

 and covering only the beds or six feet 

 above, and covering both the beds and 

 the paths. The latter is the best, since 

 it gives better air circulation and room 

 to care for the young plants. 



The transplanting of trees is always 

 accompanied by greater or lesser danger 

 of loss, or at least backset. This is 

 caused by the loss of feeding roots, the 

 drying of the bark of the roots, thus 

 making activity impossible, or failure on 

 the part of the planter to make the soil 

 firm around the roots and thereby pre- 

 venting wind injury to the newly formed 

 rootlets. 



Immediately upon receiving trees from 

 the nursery, if they are moist and in 

 good condition, heel in in moist soil. 

 If the roots are dry and the top shriveled 

 bury top roots and all in moist soil for a 

 few days before planting. This will fre- 

 quently save trees which ordinary treat- 

 ment would not. When ready to plant 

 dig the holes large enough to accommo- 



date the roots without cramping and 

 deep enough so that when the tree is 

 transplanted it will stand from one to 

 two inches deeper than it stood in the 

 nursery. Prune off all injured or bruised 

 parts of the roots in such manner that 

 the cut ends will rest on the bottom of 

 the hole, or at least will face downward. 

 Place the tree in the hole in such a way 

 that it will rest firmly on the bottom; 

 now fill in with moist, rich soil until the 

 hole is from one-third to one-half full, 

 or at least until the roots are thoroughly 

 covered, shake the tree slightly to work 

 the soil among the roots and then get 

 into the hole with both feet and tramp 

 the soil until it is firm. If it is impos- 

 sible to firm it with the feet use a piece 

 of 2x4 six to eight feet long, the end of 

 which should be padded, and tamp until 

 firm. Now fill the hole and leave the sur- 

 face loose and smooth, but never cloddy 

 or covered with chunks of sod. 



If water is to be- used it is best to dig 

 the holes from one to two days before 

 planting and put from two to three gal- 

 lons of water in each hole, permitting it 

 to entirely soak away before planting, 

 but never apply it to the surface of the 

 ground around the trees after they are 

 transplanted, as it will do more harm 

 than good. 



The roots of deciduous trees may 

 become very dry and yet not suffer 

 serious injury, but evergreens must never 

 be permitted to dry, as they have resin- 

 ous sap, which hardens when it dries out 

 or comes in contact with the air, imme- 

 diately killing the trees. 



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Send for Catalog'. 

 Most authoritative Bee Book 

 issued, 84 pages of definite 

 information. Illustrated. 



TheChas.H.LillyCo. Seattle. 



