^OJ,. XXXVII. No. 46 
WJIOI.E No. 1503. 
PRICE FITE CENTS, 
Sa.00 PER YEAR, 
^Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 187 8, by the Rn - ] Pn 
siatont with the first grand mistake. The . elec¬ 
tion is made at hap-hazard, or no selt ? m at 
all is maae except by the irresponsible an igno¬ 
rant “ Tree agentor if a selection iB make by 
the purchaser, it is on the faith of the gaudy 
pictures in the book the “ agent ” exliibits, and 
g company, in the office of t he Librarian of Congress at Washington.] 
are barked by the whiffle- trees; the roots 
are bruised, and from every bruise sprouts are 
started, which are permitted to grow around the 
tree and dwarf and stunt its thrift. If the tree 
survives, it is short-lived and unprofitable for 
the short time it exists. 
nured and planted to potatoes, roots or some 
hoed crop which is kept clean from weeds by 
constant and regular cultivation. In the sum¬ 
mer time a catalogue is procured from some re¬ 
spectable nursery as near to his own locality as 
possible, and the varieties chosen are ordered in 
season. A heap of good compost is prepared, 
sufficient in quantity to give each tree at least 
two shovelfuls of it about the roots. In the fall, 
the trees are received and are at once put into 
the ground. The holes are dug to matoh the 
size of the roots; these are trimmed wherever 
they are broken or are not compact, a smooth 
cut being made with a Bharp knife. The tops 
are shortened one-half and unnecessary branches 
are cut away. The holes, marked by 
stakeB previously set, are at least eix 
inches larger each way than the roots 
when fully spread out. The top soil 
is thrown to one side. The planting 
is done in a business-like manner. A 
load of compost is drawn on to the 
ground, and the trees are placed in 
the wagon with the roots covered 
with the compoai. One by one the 
trees are set in the holes upon a few 
shovelfuls of top soil and one of com¬ 
post mixed with it. The roots are 
oarefull? spread out in a natural po¬ 
sition ; the upper roots are held up 
while the tower ones are covered with 
FRUIT TREES AND FRUIT ON THE FARM 
HENRY STEWART, 
This is the history of 
WHI I CH08SE A LIGHT SOIL. 
If you ask a gardener what soil he would 
choose for a garden, he will say a warm, light 
soil. The bugbear of & gardener is a cold clay. 
Between these two extremes there are many de¬ 
grees ; but they all verge from the zero of a cold, 
day soil, up to the living, life-giving warmth of 
the light sandy or gravelly loam. At 
least such has been my experience 
and the resnltB of my observation. 
In a rather wide range of observa¬ 
tion, East and West, I have seen that _ 
the gravelly soils of the Hudson 
River counties of New York, the > 
light soils of Long Island—famous 
for the Newtown Pippin,—the lime¬ 
stone soils of western New York, the 
•‘oak’* soils of Oakland County, 
Michigan, and the light alluvial loams 
of Kansas, not to forget the sandy 
loams of Delaware and Maryland, all 
produce fruit of the finest llav Dr, ti,.; ■/m 
fairest quality and the nohest color; 
while the trees arrive at a good old 
age in the highest health and vigor. 
Light soils are naturally well drained; 
they are soon warmed by the sun’s 
rays, and retain their warmth for a 
long period; they respond immedi¬ 
ately to the application of manure 
and are thus soon made rich. For 
these reasons I would choose a light 
loam wherein to plant fruit trees, 
with a fair proportion of gravel in it 
derived from limestone or micaceous rocks 
if possible. It may bo that this preference has 
arisen from my fortune to Imvo al IV1LVI4 hon. 
laov kl glint 
in the vain trust that the varieties chosen will be the ■ 
delivered. side ; 
Then the trees are badly planted ; the holes 
are too small by far; the roots are crowded into Oi 
them; the tops are unpruned ; the sub-soil is He c 
returned upon the roots, and the tree is left to draii 
grow or die as it may. If it lives, the ground care 
about it is cropped year after year; the trees is w< 
