478 



THE BLACK-KNOT OF THE PLUM AND CHERRY. 



stem for fear of destroying the greater part of the fibers 

 lying well out from the crown of the root. It will pay 

 to do a little extra work by digging some distance from 

 the stem. 



The hole to receive the plant should be shaped ac- 

 cording to the position the roots occupied before they 

 were taken up, and a trifle deeper. Examine all roots 

 before planting, and if any are bruised pare them 

 off neatly with a sharp knife. If on any occasion the 

 roots happen to become dried before you are ready to 

 replant them, immerse them in water for a few hours 

 before planting. 



Everything being ready, place the roots in a position 

 favorable to the absorption of water, and so that the 

 supply of oxygen shall not be cut off. Place moist and 

 porous soil in contact with the roots, so that their full 

 absorbing surface may be called into action. Many ad- 

 vocate packing the soil by tramping. This should be 

 . done with some caution, as the root-fibers may be broken 

 off during this harsh operation, and thus hinder absorp- 

 tion, in some degree. Work the soil among the roots 

 with the hands; tapping it lightly after a considera- 

 ble amount has been placed on the roots will be no ob- 

 jection, but the top soil should be loose. 



The top of the plant should be reduced in proportion 

 to the finer roots in order to lessen the amount of evap- 

 orating surface. If a full-grown plant is to be trans- 

 planted, great care should be exercised in this direction. 

 Cut back the top so that when growth does take place 

 a well-shaped head will be formed. If the growth 

 does not seem to be free afterwards, it is evidence that 

 the roots are not taking in a sufficient supply of nour- 

 ishment, and the top should be reduced still more. 



Plants with foliage should be shaded for a few days 

 after they are transplanted, to lessen the amount of 

 evaporation, and that the roots may have time to resume 

 absorption. Mulching the soil about newly-set plants is 

 of benefit, as it holds the moisture and keeps down the 

 . weeds. Frequent cultivations are beneficial in keeping 

 the soil loose to admit oxygen. — J. L. Herbst, Wisconsin . 



IMPROVED METHODS OF TRANSPLANTING. 



My help and I have been setting plants by the hundreds 

 of thousands. These plants are Prizetaker onion-plants, 

 grown according to the "new system" as expounded by 



T. Greiner. But my method of setting differs somewhat 

 from his. We set the plants along a line stretched across 

 the field. I found that cross-marks were of no value, as 

 they became obliterated before being of any use. We 

 began last year by using pointed sticks for dibbers, but 

 progress followed experience, and now we use neat spring- 

 steel instruments with knobbed or chisel-shaped handles, 

 the latter being preferred. The blades are about seven 

 inches long, inches wide, and as thin as is consistent 

 with strength. The blades are ground smooth, and be- 

 come highly polished on being used in the soil. 



The operator kneels close to the line facing the direc- 

 tion toward which he is to work, grasps his instrument in 

 the hand toward the open field, and inserts it on his side 

 of the line and beneath it at an angle of 45 degrees. He 

 forces it in at right angles to the line nearly the full 

 length, then draws it toward him till a sufficient opening 

 for the insertion of the plant has been made. It is then 

 withdrawn, and the plant is inserted with the other hand 

 on the opposite side of the line. The blade is immedi- 

 ately inserted about i '2 inches in advance of the plant 

 just set, and drawn back as before, the soil being thus 

 crowded firmly about the plant. Again the instrument 

 is withdrawn and inserted an inch or two in advance in 

 the same way as before. In this way the previous open- 

 ing is closed and a new one made for the next plant, 

 which has meanwhile been picked up near the top 

 by the thumb and forefinger of the other hand, and is 

 now dropped into the opening just made, to be closed in 

 by the next move of the dibber. 



The plants when pulled from the bed are laid all even 

 and parallel in piles, after which they are transferred 

 to buckets or boxes containing water in the bottom to 

 keep the plants from wilting. And here let me say that 

 a wilted plant is harder to transplant, although it may 

 live as well. The plant-receptacles are moved along in 

 front of the workman by the hand which handles the 

 plants, he himself following along upon his knees. A 

 skilled workman, if supplied with good plants, can set 

 from six to eight thousand plants in ten hours. But it is 

 hard work, and we sorely need a machine to do this work 

 for us. We need it, and we must have it. Who among 

 American Gardening's numerous friends will be the 

 first to invent one? — Carl H. Potter, Wisconsin . 



THE BLACK-KNOT OF THE PLUM AND CHERRY. 



iN OLD ENEMY FOUGHl 



A NEW WAV. 



n E black-knot has become a serious 

 obstacle to successful plum and cherry 

 culture in many localities. Trees cov- 

 ered with the ugly knots are not an 

 uncommon sight. They disgrace many 

 an otherwise fine place, and remain a 

 standing reproach to the shif tlessness 

 of the owner, an eyesore to the public, and a nuisance 

 generally. Unlike the peach-yellows, there is neither 

 doubt nor mystery about the black-knot. It is a fungous 



disease which is violently contagious, perennial and rapid 

 in development. 



Descriptions of the disease, with illustrations of dis- 

 eased wood, were given in our June number. The illustra- 

 tions on pages 479 and 481, taken from a bulletin of the 

 New York Agricultural Experiment Station, give some 

 further idea of the disease. The old remedy recom- 

 mended time and time again for many years is to cut off 

 all diseased parts of the trees some distance below the 

 knots. This, however, is only part of the treatment. If 



