204 
November. 1889. 
Seasonable Hints, 
November is tlie month in which nut- 
gathering and nut-planting is in order and 
he is a wise man who takes “a day off" and 
with his children goes “a ' nutting.” There 
are few localities where sufficient nuts may 
not be gathered for the winter’s supply. To 
keep them in good condition store in a dry 
cool place. Chestnuts require more care to 
keep them fresh and plump. Mix the nuts 
with fresh sand and pack in boxes, which 
may be placed in some cool location or bur- 
ied in the soil outside. 
Nuts should be planted in the open ground 
as soon as possible after they have ripened. 
If obliged to keep them over until spring 
pack away the seed in moist sand or soil; 
they should not be allowed to dry out, mois- 
ture is the secret of keeping nuts for seed. 
The proper depth at which to plant nuts is 
about one and a half to two inches for hick- 
ories, walnuts and pecans, and about one 
inch for chestnuts. Sow the seed in nurs- 
ery rows and firm the soil over them. 
The promiscuous planting of nut trees is 
not to be advised. There is great variety 
among nuts and very many poor ones. Do 
not let us propagate them. Make careful 
selection for seed with consideration to the 
valuable qualities of hardiness, earliness in 
fruiting, size of nut. thinness of shell, qual- 
ity, etc. 
Let us suggest to our farmer friends that 
they plant this fall a few selected nuts and 
raise trees sufficient to plant out alongside 
their farms. Walnut, chestnut, hickory, 
pecan and butternut trees make the finest 
of shade trees fcr roadsides and in pastures 
and will add largely to the value of the 
farm and beauty of its surroundings. 
The popular but highly erroneous notion 
that nut trees are very difficult to transplant 
has been the bugbear that has kept back 
many from planting nuts. Nut trees may 
be transplanted as safely and as readily as 
any other tree with ordinary care but it is 
better to grow your own trees in the nur- 
sery than to transplant wild trees from the 
woods. All nut trees form a long tap root; 
by thrusting a sharp spade obliquely into 
the ground alongside the rows of young 
trees in the nursery this tap root may be 
cut off and will be succeeded by a growth of 
fibrous roots, or they may be transplanted 
at one year old and the tap root cut, which 
will achieve the same result. 
The American chestnut should always be 
planted in groups of three or more trees to- 
gether if an abundant supply of nuts is 
desired for, like many native plums, they 
do not always satisfactorily fertilize their 
flowers; the pollen seems to ripen too early 
— before the pistils are ready to receive it — 
and hence is wasted. This is sometimes the 
case with the pecan and other nuts. 
CATARRH CURED. 
A clergyman, after years of suffering from that loath- 
some disease Catarrh, and vainly trying every known 
remedy, at last found a prescription which completely 
cured and saved him from death. Any sufferer from 
this dreadful disease sending a self-addressed stamped 
envelope to Prof. J. A. Lawrence, 88 Warren Street, 
NewYork, will receive the recipe free of charge.— Adv. 
Th a advantages of fall planting are not 
recognized and appreciated as they should 
be. We yearly present them to the read- 
ers of Orchard and Garden and urge the 
adoption of the practice. An experience 
of many years confirms us in the opinion 
that fall planting is the best for all trees 
except some of the stone fruits and ever- 
greens. There is still an amount of summer 
heat retained in the soil which favors the 
healing of cut and bruised roots and the 
growth of root fibres, whilst in the spring 
the reverse is the case. The soil then being 
colder than the air the buds start before 
root growth has commenced. 
It is often difficult to procure trees suffi- 
ciently early in the spring to get th r m out 
in good season, owing to the rush of busi- 
ness in which the nurseryman is invariably 
involved at that time. There are few things 
more exasperating to the orchardist than to 
be compelled to wait for his trees with the 
ground ready, the holes dug and the sea- 
son rapidly passing away. This may all be 
obviated by having the stock shipped in 
fall and heeling it in the ground when re- 
ceived, where it can safely remain until 
ready to plant. This is not the only advan- 
tage to be gained by ordering in fall, for, as 
a rule, a much better grade of stock may be 
obtained then than in spring, and while the 
nurseryman’s assortment is complete there 
is less chance of substitution. 
‘‘Heeling in” may be performed by select- 
ing a well-drained mellow piece of ground, 
in a sheltered location, opening a wide and 
deep trench and placing therein the trees, 
inclined to the north at an angle of about 
45 deg. Spread out the roots and cover 
them and the lower part of the stems with 
fine soil, filling in all interstices among the 
roots so that the soil comes in close contact 
with all parts of them. Trees thus “heeled 
in” are safer from freezing than if left in 
the nursery row. Never use straw or other 
rubbish for covering; it will only attract 
mice and other vermin. 
It is a mistake to buy large trees for early 
fruiting or immediate effect. “Bearing 
size” they are termed in nurserymen’s par- 
lance, but small trees, well-rooted, will 
quickly overtake them and in nine cases 
out of ten come into full bearing before 
them. Not that we would advise the pur- 
chase of poor, insignificant stock, by any 
means;but good two years or first-class trees 
well rooted are better than extra-sized trees 
which cannot be dug without the loss of 
the best of their roots. Keep the roots of 
all young trees moist until planted. Trim 
the tops, cutting back severely, and cut 
away smoothly the bruised and jagged roots. 
Young trees, especially those lately plant- 
ed. require protection against the strong 
winds of wunter. Bank around the base of 
the tree a mound of earth about a foot 
high, as shown in Fig. 480, and this will 
also serve as a protection against mice- In 
setting out young trees it is important that 
the hole be sufficiently large to permit of 
the roots being spread out; then partially 
cover them with fine soil, and by jarring 
slightly and moving the tree up and down, 
the loose soil will fill in closely among the 
roots. Then fill up the hole and tramp the 
soil firmly. Never allow manure to come 
in contact with the 
roots; place it on the 
surface around the 
tree. Care and thor- 
oughness in planting 
is of the greatest con- 
sequence and the land 
must be suitably pre- 
pared before planting. 
To set fruit trees in 
poor soil unless prop- 
erly enriched and 
drained is labor and 
money thrown away. 
Good corn land makes 
a good orchard. 
fig. 4W>. Clear up the old or- 
chard by gathering broken limbs and rub- 
bish and burning them. Rubbish harbors 
insects, fire destroys them. It is a good 
time now to give the orchard a generous 
top-dressing of good stable manure and thus 
pay for the crop of apples just gathered. Put 
on a liberal coat of manure and let it stay 
there; don’t plough the orchard in the fall. 
The implements pertaining to the orchard, 
such as ladders, stands, baskets, etc., now 
that the harvesting is over, should be col- 
lected and put away in their respective 
places. The weak places in the ladders can 
be strengthened w hilst they are in mind 
and a coat of paint applied where wanted. 
It will pay. 
The rlyinan Plum. 
Attention has been called to this plum 
from the mention made of it by Pomologist 
H. E. Van Deman in his report to the De- 
partment of Agriculture. It is supposed to 
be a seedling of the old “Peach” plum from 
seed planted in 1866 by Mrs. Clyman, in the 
Napa Valley, Cal. It first attracted atten- 
tion by ripening its fruit long before any 
other plum of the European family — from 
four to six weeks in advance — or about 
with Wild Goose. The tree is a vigorous 
grower and the leaves are large and abun- 
dent. Prof. Van Deman says: “The fruit 
is round in shape, slightly flattened at the 
end opposite the stem, with a distinct su- 
ture on one side. The skin is a dark pur- 
ple w r ith a heavy bloom over all. which 
gives it a rich bluish color. The flesh is j el- 
low, firm and of delicious flavor. When 
ripe it is a perfect freestone. The principal 
merit over the old varieties lies in its earli- 
ness, which makes it profitable for market 
purposes long before all other plums of i his 
class.” This is certainly a novelty in the 
way of plums and it seems to be well worthy 
of extended trial. 
