THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
321 
PAEONIES 
September is a good month for handling Paeonies. 
Perhaps in some localities the tops will be quite green 
and the plants hardly ripe enough to dig, hut each nur¬ 
seryman will have to decide this for himself. If they 
are handled before they are ripe, there will he great 
danger of shrivelling if the weather is very dry and they 
are subjected to very much exposure, hut the nursery¬ 
man cannot always do work just when he would like to, 
and if there is any transplanting to he done the sooner 
it is attended to and out of the way the better, as the 
fall shipping season will soon he here. 
There is no plant that pays better for deep cultivation 
and thorough preparation of the ground than the Paeony. 
It is a deep rooting plant and a voracious feeder, and 
much of the trouble known as coming blind is caused 
by poor condition of soil and too close propagation, 
weakening the plants. 
The Paeony is undoubtedly a coming flower, and when 
there is the same care and attention given to raising 
stock for Paeonies and in the selection of variety as 
there is in the roses, carnations and other lines of plants 
we shall have very different results from what are being 
generally produced now. J ust because the Paeony is a 
plant that will often thrive with very little attention and 
produce fair results, is no reason why it should be neg¬ 
lected, in fact the reverse is true, there is no plant that 
responds quicker to cultivation and intelligent treat¬ 
ment. 
DYNAMITE RAISES PROFITS 
By J. M. Field, Climax, N. C. 
The practice of dynamiting holes in which to set young 
fruit trees is not so common in the South as its merits 
justify. The reason for this, I believe, is to he found in 
the natural distrust of the average man for the claims 
made by the different powder companies that dynamit¬ 
ing holes is a decided benefit to young trees. 
During the spring of 1913 I set out 200 Stayman whips. 
During the previous September we bored 150 holes, 
30 inches deep, 30x30 feet, and exploded one-half stick 
of 40 per cent, dynamite in the bottom of each hole at a 
cost of six cents per tree for dynamite, caps and fuse. 
These charges did not tear up the surface as might have 
been expected, but when we dug down to prepare these 
places for setting the young apple trees, we found the 
hard subsoil thoroughly pulverized to a distance of U/2 
to 2 feet in every direction. 
When these holes were bored, the fellows who mani¬ 
pulated the dirt auger decided it was a “bum” job and 
quit, under the pretense of going to the circus which 
happened along about this time, and I suppose they are 
now official stake drivers for the circus. Anyway, they 
didn’t come back. 
During this period of “watchful waiting,” an equin¬ 
octial deluge struck us and soaked the soil and subsoil, 
so that the remaining one acre was not dynamited. 
Nevertheless, said one acre was planted along with the 
rest, and to this day the striking contrast is commented 
on by passersby who see it for the first time. 
The dry season of 1913 caused 17 of the trees planted 
in spaded holes to die, while the adjoining three acres of 
trees flourished. 
In the light of a former experiment when I dynamited 
an old roadbed for young trees, 1 do not hesitate to attri¬ 
bute the greater growth of those 150 youngsters over the 
50 unfortunates, not to the time of planting or variety of 
trees or quality of the nursery stock, but to the manner 
of the soil preparation in tin? immediate vicinity of each 
young tree’s root system. 
At the present writing, June 9, 1916, anybody will lx; 
favorably impressed with the vigorous, sturdy growth of 
the 150 trees planted in dynamited holes as compared 
with the weak, spindling growth of tin' remaining 33 
trees planted in spaded holes. 
In order to fully appreciate the following measure¬ 
ments, I would suggest that you secure a small caliper 
rule and take measurements of any little trees you hap¬ 
pen to find that correspond in size with these and the 
great difference in the two blocks of trees will be more 
fully appreciated than by mere reading of this article. 
Spaded Holes—Average Growth 
Diameter Diameter 
Height of 
Diameter of 
Diameter of 
Length 
at Base at Top of 
Trunk 
1915 Growth 
1915 Growth 
of 1915 
of Trunk Trunk 
at Base 
at Top 
Growth 
11-16 in. 7-16 in. 
12 in 
4-16 in. 
2-16 in. 
14 in. 
13-16 in. 9-16 in. 
14 in. 
5-16 in. 
2-16 in 
14 in. 
14-16 in. 9-16 in. 
16 in. 
3-16 in. 
2-16 in. 
18 in. 
14-16 in. 10-16 in. 
21 in. 
5-16 in. 
3-16 in. 
27 in. 
1 in 14-16 in. 
10 in. 
5-16 in. 
3-16 in. 
26 in. 
1 6-16 in. 1 4-16 in. 
13 in. 
9-16 in. 
4-16 in. 
40 in. 
Dynamited Holes 
—Average 
Growth 
Diameter Diameter 
Height of 
Diameter of 
Diameter of 
Length 
at Base at Top of 
Trunk 
1915 Growth 
1915 Growth 
of 1915 
of Trunk Trunk 
at Base 
at Top 
Growth 
1 6-16 in. 1 in. 
12 in. 
8-16 in. 
6-16 in. 
30 in. 
1 8-16 in. 1 7-16 in. 
18 in. 
12-16 in. 
6-16 in. 
36 in. 
1 13-16 in. 1 9-16 in. 
14 in. 
12-16 in. 
7-16 in. 
44 in. 
1 14-16 in. 1 6-16 in. 
12 in. 
12-16 in. 
6-16 in. 
42 in. 
2 in. 1 8-16 in. 
13 in. 
1 7-16 in. 
4-16 in. 
37 in. 
2 2-16 in. 1 12-16 in. 
16 in. 
14-16 in. 
3-16 in. 
46 in. 
TRANSCENDENT CRAR APPLE TREES NOT WANTED 
IN WISCONSIN 
In the effort to suppress “Fire Blight” in the State of 
Wisconsin, the University of Wisconsin has recently 
mailed the following circular letter to all non-resident 
nurserymen who are licensed to do business in Wiscon¬ 
sin. 
Gentlemen:— 
The transcendent crab is so susceptible to fire blight 
that it is a menace to the apple industry in our state. 
In attempting to eliminate this variety from the plant¬ 
ing list, we have taken up the matter with all local nur¬ 
serymen dealing in fruit trees, and have obtained their 
hearty co-operation as they were agreed in their willing¬ 
ness to discontinue the propagation of this crab. 
We are addressing a letter to the non-resident nur¬ 
serymen who are licensed to do business in Wisconsin 
to inquire if they will indicate a similar willingness, and 
thus assist in this matter. 
Your co-operation will be greatly appreciated. 
Yours truly, 
Hort. Bldg. (Signed) R. II. Roberts. 
