P.J.Berckmans Co. j:A Avgusta, Georgia 
Hints for Planters 
Preparation of the Soil. The most desirable soil 
for fruit trees is a rich loam, naturally dry or made so 
by drainage. Peaches and plums must be planted on 
high, well-drained soil. Before planting, prepare the 
land by thoroughly plowing and subsoiling, first using 
a two-horse plow, followed by a subsoil plow. Lay off 
the rows at required distances, and dig holes at least 
two feet wide and two feet deep; fill the holes by breaking 
in the sides, commencing at the bottom and going up¬ 
ward. Use surface soil in filling up, and with this mix 
one or two shovelfuls of thoroughly decomposed barn¬ 
yard manure; or use one or two pounds of good bone 
meal. All fertilizers must be thoroughly incorporated 
with the soil. Avoid the contact of the roots with heat¬ 
ing manures. 
Selection of Trees. For this climate, experience 
has taught us that one- and two-year-old trees of thrifty 
growth (except peaches, only one-year trees of which 
should be planted) are the most desirable. Purchasers 
should bear in mind that such trees can be removed 
from the nursery with all their roots, whereas a four- 
or five-year-old tree cannot be taken up without cutting 
away a large portion of them. Success in transplanting 
is increased according as attention is paid in selecting 
well-rooted trees, instead of heavily-branched ones. 
Give as many sound roots, and as little head to a tree 
as possible. 
Preparation of Trees. Before planting, remove the 
broken roots, cut back one-year peach, apple, pear, 
cherry and plum trees to a naked stem i H to 2% feet 
high, leaving no side branches. Two-year-old trees 
should have their branches cut back to half their length, 
or less; the lower limbs less than those above, cutting 
in shorter as you go upward, leaving the leader the 
longest. (For pruning peach trees, see page 9.) The 
tree should be set about 2 inches deeper than it stood 
in the nursery. 
Time for Planting. In this climate, vegetation, 
although inactive in winter for the formation of leaves 
and new wood, is never so as to new roots. A tree 
transplanted in November or December will, by the 
ensuing spring, have formed sufficient new roots to 
give it a firm hold in the ground, and will grow off 
rapidly when active vegetation commences. Plant as 
early after the first killing frost as practicable, although 
hardy stock can be safely transplanted any time 
during the winter when the ground is not too wet or 
frozen. 
Cultivation. To get good results from your trees, 
keep them well cultivated. Stir the soil frequently dur¬ 
ing the summer. Remove all suckers and branches 
which start below the head of the tree. For the first 
two years, cultivate the orchard in some hoed crop, 
suited to the location, such as cotton, vegetables, 
melons, peas, or any similar crop. Cultivate frequently. 
Never plant corn or small grain in your orchard if the 
soil is of light character, but for stiff soils devoid c f 
humus, sow rye, clover, or barley in fall, using a suit¬ 
able fertilizer. Turn under this cover crop in spring, 
and drill in peas. If soil is devoid of lime and potash, 
supply the deficiency with bone meal, hardwood-ashes, 
or a good commercial fertilizer. You cannot get a 
healthy growth on your trees unless the orchard is 
supplied with the proper plant food. 
Care of the Trees on Arrival. If not ready to plant 
on arrival, unpack without exposing the roots to cold or 
air, dig a trench, and heel-in by carefully covering the 
roots with earth, and give a copious watering. Trees 
thus treated can remain in the trenches until ready for 
planting in the orchard. If frozen when received, do 
not open the boxes, but place them in a cellar or some 
cool, dark room that is free from frost and let them 
remain until all frost is drawn out. If no cellar or frost¬ 
proof room, bury the box in saw-dust or dirt until 
thawed. The point is to get- the frost entirely out 
without sudden exposure of stock to heat, light or air. 
Even if frozen solid, the stock will not be injured if 
handled in this manner. 
Injurious Insects 
The increase of insects detrimental to fruits, flowers, trees and plants necessarily compels all of us to obtain 
a knowledge of the habits of insects, so that we may provide means to check their ravages; otherwise our trees 
and fruit must remain at their mercy, and too late we find that paying crops become more and more uncer¬ 
tain. In this catalogue, space only permits us to enumerate the most abundant and destructive species of insects 
which infest our orchard and gardens. The remedies as suggested are according to the latest recommendations 
of the leading entomologists of the country. 
APPLES 
Apple Worm ( Carpocapsa pomonella, or Codling 
Moth). Spray with arsenate of lead at the rate of two 
pounds to fifty gallons of water, and Bordeaux Mixture 
(six pounds lime and three pounds blue stone), or self- 
boiled lime-sulphur mixture, or two gallons of factory- 
made lime-sulphur mixture to fifty gallons of water. 
The first spraying being applied just before the Calyx 
closes, and the second from seven to eight weeks later 
when the second brood appears. This gives the best 
results from an economic standpoint. It is generally 
conceded that earlier or later sprayings than those men¬ 
tioned above are of no value against the first brood, 
when dealing with the codling-moth. Bordeaux, not 
being strictly an insecticide, does not act against the 
codling moth, but it is always well to use it with ar¬ 
senate of lead to prevent apple scab or other fungous 
diseases. 
Borer ( Sapcrda Candida). Examine trees in spring 
and again in June and dig out the grubs with a wire. 
Then wash the collar of roots and parts of the body 
with a mixture of lime and sulphur. 
Caterpillar ( Clisiocampa Americayia). Destroy nests 
as soon as they appear in spring by burning, or spray 
with Paris green eight ounces, lime one pound, water 
fifty gallons. 
Spring Canker Worm (Paleacrita vemata). Encircle 
the tree with a canvas belt coated thoroughly with tar 
or train oil; or spray with six ounces Paris green and 
one pound lime to fifty gallons Bordeaux or water. 
Woolly Aphis ( Schizoneura lanigera). For above¬ 
ground colonies, wash trees with solution of whale-oil 
soap or kerosene emulsion. For root-inhabiting colonics, 
remove the soil to a depth of about three inches, or 
sufficient to partially expose the roots; open a circle 
from four to eight feet in diameter, depending on the 
spread of the roots, distribute three to eight pounds of 
tobacco dust or use 10 per cent kerosene emulsion. 
Enough emulsion should be used to saturate the soil 
to a depth of three or four inches. Recent experiments 
have shown that kerosene emulsion may be used with 
success. Tobacco dust is of more value as a preventive 
and fertilizer. Badly infested trees should be treated 
with kerosene emulsion, applying this in April or May, 
but be sure to have the stock solution properly made or 
it may injure the trees. 
PEACHES AND PLUMS 
Peach Tree Borer ( Sanninoidea exitiosa). The old 
method of worming peach trees during winter has been 
found ineffective, principally because the worms cause 
too much damage before being removed. 
In the spring remove the earth from about the body 
of the tree down to the crown, scraping off gummy exur 
dations, and carefully search for the borer. For this 
work, use a farrier’s knife, or a tool especially made for 
working peach trees. 
An excellent wash for borers is the following; One 
bushel of quicklime, twenty pounds of sulphur, one 
gallon of coal-tar, fifty gallons of water. Mix tar and 
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