he National N urser y man * 
FOR GROWERS AND DEALERS IN NURSERY STOCK. 
Copyrighted 1903 by The National Nurseryman Publishing Co., Incorporated. 
Vol. XIII. ROCHESTER, N. Y., MAY, 1905. No. 5. 
A Symposium on Implements and Tillage 
BY LEADING NURSERYMEN. 
The tillage season is again upon us. How have we prepared 
the ground for the spring settings of cuttings, grafts, and 
trees? Is subsoiling desirable under all circumstances or is 
it a practice for special types of soil? What kinds of culti- 
vat, ng implements do you find best? These and other closely 
allied questions are answered in the interesting group of 
replies which follow. On the matter of the desirability of sub¬ 
soiling there is a sharp diversity of opinion. Of the fifteen, 
eight favor the use of the subsoiler, six have either given up 
its use, or their soil being naturally loose, does not seem to 
need subsoiling. 
There appears to be no uniformity of opinion in regard to 
types of cultivators. Many men have devised special types 
of implements to meet the peculiar character of soil and crops. 
The striking feature of the discussion is the unanimity of 
opinion in favor of thorough preparation followed by a perse¬ 
vering system of rather shallow surface tillage. The follow¬ 
ing questions were asked of a score, or more of growers of 
nursery stock the country over and their answers are ap¬ 
pended. 
QUESTIONS. 
1— What has been your experience in using subsoiling im¬ 
plements? 
2— What type of cultivator do you find best adapted to your 
soil? 
3— Name a set of implements well suited to the working of 
•your soil and the stock you grow. Describe soil. 
ANSWERS. 
NEW YORK. 
We are so very busy at this time that, we cannot go into 
the matter in as much detail as we would like to. 
As to question (1) would say that in breaking up our land 
for nursery purposes, that is, in fitting land that has been 
used simply for ordinary farming before we plant trees 
we always subsoil, and find great advantage in so doing. It 
gives better drainage, helps to subserve moisture, and as 
nurserymen now have to use a tree-digger, we are able to 
remove stones and rocks which hinder the work of the digger. 
We have a heavy soil mostly clay with gravelly subsoil. 
(2) In cultivating our two year old trees we use the old 
“Canandaigua Wooden Frame” one horse cultivator. For 
young stock that is not over f foot in height, we use the two 
horse wheel cultivator, and have found the Planet Jr., as 
satisafctory as any of them. 
(3) We use a one horse plow in our nursery stock fully as 
much as a cultivator; usually following the plan of plowing 
up to stock, and then following with a cultivator to work the 
soil down. 
Geneva. W. & T. Smith Company, 
SUBSOILERS NOT USED. 
(1) It has been many years since we used the subsoiler 
in preparing land for nursery stock. We failed to discover 
any advantage by subsoiling, hence our action as above. 
Were we operating on a tenacious clay soil we would then 
subsoil. 
(2) The wheel cultivator we use wherever we can, or until 
the trees get too large; after that, the ordinary farm kind. 
When the soil becomes very hard, which is not often the case, 
we use the spike tooth. 
(3) Clark’s Double Action Cutaway Harrow. Munnsville 
three horse plows; Spring tooth harrows, followed by a 
smoothing harrow; roller: cultivators as above; one horse 
plows. 
Soil gravelly loam, with clay subsoil. 
Geneva. The R. G. Chase Company. 
(1) We do not practice subsoiling, but plough as deep as 
three horses can turn a furrow. 
(2) I am using a Munnsville New York Cultivator. 
(3) This Munnsville Cultivator and a one horse plow 
works well between the rows of trees, and we keep them 
going as conditions may require throughout the whole growing 
season. 
Our soil is a good rich loam with a heavy clay subsoil. 
Batavia. Nelson Bogue. 
(1) We discontinued subsoiling some years but last year 
again tried it and where subsoiled obtained a little larger 
growth; and pear and apple held leaves fully until very late. 
Have tried it again this season. 
(2) Planet Jr. two horse; and for one horse we like the old 
style wooden cultivator as well as any. 
(3) Plow, Disc harrow; drags and roller follow cultivator. 
We seldom if ever use spring tooth. We think it operates 
too hard for work done. 
Various grades of loam; no clay. 
Seneca. Rupert & Son. 
PENNSYLVANIA. 
DEEP SUBSOILING, THOROUGH TILLAGE. 
(1) Up to this year we have not used subsoil plows to any 
extent as the nature of the soil we have planted on did not 
seem to require it and we have had satisfacotry results with¬ 
out it. From this on we shall plant freely on ground 
with a heavy clay bottom and we prepared this ground last 
fall by subsoil plowing. We use a large two horse Syracuse 
plow, the largest size manufactured and follow each furrow 
with as deep a subsoil plow of the Syracuse type as we can 
