FRUIT-GROWERS’ REPORT. 
411 
and taste, but we earnestly invite all to begin right by selecting 
low trees, or make them low, by cutting off the tops when set¬ 
ting. The first consideration is its roots; bright, healthy, and 
enough of them; if the nurseryman is short of rooted trees, 
or parsimonious of them, turn your back upon him; have roots 
or nothing; be assured, that with a good foundation to start on, 
a self-bracing, self-shading, and we might say, self-cultivating 
tree, after nature’s mould, of good variety, in such a location 
as we have shown to be desirable, we may have all earthly cer¬ 
tainty of success, if we have learned 
How to Plant .—Cole says, “A farmer dismissed a hand be¬ 
cause he set only nine trees in a day during his absence; the 
next day he set the balance of the hundred himself. When 
they bore fruit, the nine set by the hand proved to be more 
valuable than the ninety-one set by himself.” We have told 
hundreds of buyers, “ Consider that mass of roots, how they 
were arranged in the earth; a place for every fibre, and every 
fibre in its place; let that be your rule in setting. Do not make 
a nest of these small roots; better cut them off, especially if 
the large roots are bright and healthy, or the trees much ex¬ 
posed in transportation. Cut off smoothly the bruised ends 
on the under side, straiten the crooked ones if possible, but 
handle them carefully; bear in mind, they are the foundation of 
a noble structure in the future.” 
If twisted in infancy, they will be gnarled in maturity; put 
in no strong or coarse manure, but a good surface mould or 
compost pressed firmly around each root; puddling is unneces¬ 
sary, except in wet, stiff soil, and after all that the hands can 
do. If the ground has been prepared as we proposed, little 
or no holes will be required. We do not believe in digging 
holes to set trees in ; would rather make the orchard ground one 
vast hole by subsoiling, and set the crown of the tree some 
three or four inches higher than it stood in the nursery; this is 
important; setting in a hole is deceptive, no allowance being 
made for settling. Ninety-nine per cent, of trees are set too 
deep, causing, indirectly, the death of half of them, by depri¬ 
ving the roots of free circulation, warm air and dews, causing 
