MISTAKES IN OECHARD MANAGEMENT. 
263 
crops being gathered early more nourishment goes to phimp np the buds 
tor the next year's crop. 
Cheap trees seldom prove satisfactory. We know most farmers dearly 
love a bargain, and, possibly, a neighbouring grower will meet a farmer at 
a " market ordinary," and say, " Look here, farmer, I've got a lot of trees 
I will sell you cheap. They are not in first-class condition, but you can 
plant them out in a bit of spare garden for a year or two and they will soon 
come on." The bargain is made, and the trees planted in the spare bit of 
garden. Some of them may make decent trees in a few years, but very 
probably the majority will not. I saw such a cheap (?) lot some time 
Fig. 131. — Better Planting — Hole 6 feet wide. 
since, and the stems were more suitable for building a rustic arch or chair, 
they had so many crooks and bends in them. This was certainly a mistake 
in selecting. A nurseryman, who knew his business, would burn such 
refuse rather than sell it to injure his own reputation. 
It is not often a tenant can select his site for planting, he has just to 
make the best of the land he has. Where mistakes are made is in planting 
on low swampy ground (where the frosts frequently injure the fruit 
blossom), on hilly ground (where, in a dry season, there is insufficient 
moisture for the roots), and at a distance from the home. In the latter 
case pilfering is much easier than when the orchard is near the house and 
under easy supervision. 
