General Cultural Information 
FLAMING AND PRUNING 
If the customer cannot plant the trees immediately after they are received, he should unpack 
them and set them in a trench, throwing earth over their roots and wetting them thoroughly, if 
trees are frozen when received, set them in a trench and cover entirely with earth until the weath¬ 
er is warmer. 
The ground should be thoroughly plowed or otherwise cultivated before the plants are re¬ 
ceived. Make holes for planting about 1 to 2 feet deep and about 2 feet or more in diameter, unless 
otherwise specified. 
In general, fruit trees should be planted about the same depth that they set when in the 
nursery. Throw in loose soil until the roots are covered, and pour in water until the hole will hold 
no more. Fill up the remainder of the hole with soil, mounding it well up the stem of the tree. 
Do not pack the soil hard. The tops of the trees should be cut off about 12 to 24 inches from the 
ground, depending on the size of the tree. For two-year-old trees, cut above three or four of the 
branches and cut the branches 3 to 4 inches from the body of the tree. 
Pruning trees severely almost insures their life and makes a low, robust, healthy specimen that 
shades its own body. Any bruised or injured limbs should, of course, be trimmed off. 
Cut off all suckers 6 to 12 inches from the ground. After the first year, all weaker branches 
should be cut out. For pears and plums, trim the longer branches back half-way about January 
or February. All branches removed should be cut or sawed off close to the body of the tree. 
Cultivation of the trees is another necessary item, especially during the first few years. The 
ground should be worked with plow and hoe often until the tree is four or five years old, and 
somewhat less frequently afterward. 
It is assumed that the customer will not make a horse-lot, cow-pasture, etc., out of his or¬ 
chard. If rabbits are injuring the young trees, newspapers, cornstalks, or straw tied around the 
base of the tree will prevent this. 
Although we have given instructions.how to keep trees that cannot be planted immediately, 
we advise that they be planted as soon as possible where they are to stand. Customers should try 
to follow these instructions as carefully as possible, and if any of these details are not clear, we 
are always glad to furnish additional information upon inquiry. 
PRUNING FLOWERING SHRUBS 
Flowering shrubs should be cut back half-way or more before planting, also to some extent 
each winter. To make the plants bloom more freely and for a longer season, it is advisable to cut 
the flowers off as soon as they are past their best, so that seeds are not allowed to form. 
HOW TO WATER TREES AND SHRUBS 
When planting, fill the hole nearly full of earth, pour in water until it stands for a moment, 
then, Avhile the water is standing, shake the tree, to settle the mud around the roots. Dry soil may 
then be shoveled in until a mound has been made. This mound should not be packed. 
For pecan trees, large evergreens, and for trees of any kind that are dry, the mound should 
be about 1 foot up the stem of the trees. 
No matter when trees have been planted, they should never be watered by merely pouring 
the water on the top of the ground. This practice is sure death to roses, especially. A shallow 
hole should be dug near the tree or shrub and this should be filled with water; after the water 
has been soaked up, cover the hole with dry soil. Do not pack this soil. Another satisfactory 
method is to make a trench around the tree, fill the trench with water, then rake loose, dry soil 
over the wet earth when the water has been soaked in. 
In dry weather, trees should be well watered about once a week, so that the water will reach 
the roots. Merely sprinkling the trees, as one would a lawn, is of no avail. 
TO PROTECT TREES FROM FROST 
It is seldom necessary to protect trees for more than three nights, and then only sufficiently 
to raise the temperature from 2 to 5 degrees. 
For large orchards, smudge-pots burning crude oil are satisfactory; for smaller orchards, burn¬ 
ing brush, or anything to get a good cloud of smoke, will serve; for trees in the yard, spraying the 
trees with water about dark, when frost threatens, is a good method. The freezing of the water 
on the limbs of the trees protects them from the cold. 
POLLINATION 
One may greatly increase the yield of fruits and berries by helping the plant to become 
pollinized. Several stands of bees near the fruit trees or berry plants will accomplish this satis¬ 
factorily. 
TO CONTROL ROOT-ROT 
Root-rot is caused by a fungus which cannot live through the winter where there are no roots 
of live plants susceptible to it. Pear trees are most affected by it, while peach and plum are 
immune. Morning-glory vines and certain weeds that live through the winter will carry the fungus 
and cau.se it to multiply. The best remedy is to plant trees and crops that are not susceptible to 
the root-rot fungus and to give late summer and fall cultivation, so that no fungus will be carried 
through the winter. In one or two years’ time, root-rot should be reduced considerably. 
JAPANESE NURSERY CO., GENOA, TEXAS 
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