HOW TO BUY GOOD TREES 
7 
planter should simply be sure that the nurseryman with whom he deals is 
a good, reliable business man. He should take the same precautions which 
he would in buying a barrel of sugar, a dairy cow, or a carload of fencing 
wire. The itinerant fruit agent should never be patronized, of course, 
except to get rid of him — never with the expectation of getting any useful 
trees. 
(XX size.) 
(X Size.) 
One- Year Apple Trees. 
One-year-old apple trees are usually 
straight whips, as shown above, and 
should have plump, sound buds along 
the entire lennth. and the wood should 
be firm, sound and well matured. How- 
ever, some varieties often have numer- 
ous branches on the lower half of the 
tree and many orchardlsts prefer such 
branched yearltnys, as they combine 
many ol the advantages of both the 
one and the two-year-old trees. Most 
planters prefer one-year stock because 
only thrifty trees are salable at one 
year: they can be headed at any desired 
height, and they stand transplanting 
better. 
"The prices of nursery stock 
are so low, and the character of 
the goods furnished generally so 
high, that the orchard planter 
can hardly consider this one of 
his serious expenses. Above all 
other things, he should not prac- 
tice a false economy in this part 
of the project. The best trees 
should be bought from the most 
reliable man in the market. A 
saving of $2 or $3 in the price 
of nursery stock may be lost a 
hundred times over before the 
first crop is gathered." 
Nursery trees are sold by 
age, and the nurseryman must 
develop a certain sized tree with- 
in a specified time. It has been 
found that certain combinations 
of soil and climate in certain 
sections will produce better trees 
than can be grown elsewhere. 
A good orchard site is seldom a 
good place to grow nursery stock. 
The purpose of a good orchard 
location is to produce fruit, 
and the purpose of a good nur- 
sery site is to produce roots 
and tops. Fortunately, it doesn't 
make any difference in what 
part of the country a tree is 
grown, provided the above con- 
ditions prevail. If a tree has 
been properly developed, it will 
succeed in any other part of the 
country, so that every fruit- 
grower, even though he is not in 
a location where nursery stock 
can be grown satisfactorily, is 
able to get the best trees grown 
in the United States, wherever 
that may be. 
The United States Depart- 
ment of Agi'iculture, in Farmers' 
Bulletin No. 631, "Growing 
Peaches," says: "Correspond- 
ents frequently write to the 
Department of Agriculture ask- 
ing, 'Is it advisable to purchase 
