MISTAKES IN ORCHARD MANAGEMENT. 
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cost per tree planted as above may be useful : — Cost of tree, Ss. ; digging 
hole, planting, staking, and wiring. Id. ; stake, 8d. ; wire, 3^d. ; staples, 
; label, l^d. ; total, 45. dd. 
Referring to fig. 128, I said of that tree that it was six years old when 
planted. In the west many planters like trees of this age, and even 
older if they can get them, as they say they soon have a big tree which 
will stand the wind and the stock rubbing against it. This is a mistaken 
idea, as the older a tree gets the worse it transplants. In the small 
country nurseries a tree may as likely as not stand where it was worked 
Fig. 135. — A poor Okchard Tree — Stem too Short. 
until it is sold. At six years old it will be quite a big tree with strong 
roots (devoid of fibre), which must necessarily be cut about severely when 
the tree is lifted. Planted, as is often the case, without the rough 
wounded ends of the roots being smoothly pared over (another mistake), 
it has no chance of growing, and instead of becoming a healthy tree it is 
stunted and looks poverty-stricken. On the other hand, if good strong 
healthy trees of three years old are bought and are carefully planted, and 
pruned at the head and roots, the weather after planting being fairly 
favourable, they will develop at five years old into trees like fig. 134, which 
is one of several planted in 1898 at the County School, Wellington, 
Somerset, to give the agricultural students practical instruction in some 
