

Answers to 40 Questions 
MOST COMMONLY ASKED BY THE AVERAGE 
PERSON BUYING NURSERY STOCK 
1. Q. When is the best time to plant 
A 
ao 
nursery stock? 
Either Fall or Spring, though 
early Spring is preferred by 
many. Fall delivery season 
starts about October 15th and 
extends through to severe freez- 
ing of the ground. Spring de- 
livery season starts March 15th 
and extends to June 1st. In our 
modern cold storage, we can 
keep plants dormant until the 
latter date. 
How long before my fruit trees 
will bear some fruit? 
This depends on the variety and 
root-stock, but on the average 
we have found the following to 
be quite true: 
2 vr. Apples After planting 
Cortland, Ea. McIntosh_2-3 yrs. 
Reds Vicintoshaamees 3-4 yrs. 
Northern Spy 5-7 yrs. 
Diy hs CAr Sse kee eee eee 3 yrs. 
Devine Elum S35 ke set eee 2-3 yrs. 
ZV Tt. SOur, Cherry. 2-3 yrs. 
2 yr. Sweet Cherry______-_. 3-4 yrs. 
Zev Cy C Geese es 1-2 yrs. 
Wyr;-Peach: 3 a ae. 2-3 yrs. 
If I plant Asparagus in the 
Spring (Example) 1948 when 
can I harvest the first crop? 
You could cut some Asparagus 
in 1949, but the first big crop 
would be in 1950. 
- Can I grow Quinces and Apri- 
cots? 
Generally speaking, Apricots, 
though not a commercial crop in 
the East, will grow where 
Peaches do well. If you can 
grow Sweet Cherries, Quinces 
will grow there. 
- Wili you tell me how to spray 
my trees and whai to use? 
Please refer to pages 30 & 31. 
Should I fertilize my trees or 
put manure in the holes at 
planting time? 
Fertilizers are of no value until 
the roots are -established and 
growing, thus being able to ab- 
sorb the nutrients. Manure is 
best used as a mulch on top of 
the ground well back from the 
main stem. It may severely in- 
jure the tree, if placed directly 
in the tree hole. Wet peat moss 
or similar material mixed with 
the soil at planting time (1 part 
of peat moss to 4 parts of soil) 
makes an ideal combination for 
loosening up the soil. 
What are Mazzard roots? 
Mazzard is used to differentiate 
this type of root stock from Ma- 
haleb. Briefiy Mazzard is the 
wild Sweet Cherry and produces 
a long lived tree which grows 
larger than the Mahaleb and 
comes into bearing a little later, 
and is not so hardy. Mahaleb 
is the perfume Cherry of Eu- 
rope and produces a tree small- 
er, earlier fruiting and hardier. 
Mahaleb is the most commonly 
&. Q. 
A. 
9. Q. 
A 
10. Q. 
11. Q. 
A 
12. Q. 
A. 
13. Q. 
A 
14. Q. 
Compiled by our staff in cooperation with 
Dr. H. B. Tukey, formerly of the Geneva, 
N. Y. Experiment Station, and other 
Fruit Experts at the Station. Please read 
before ordering or asking for information. 
used rootstock. We charge a 
premium for trees on Mazzard 
roots because they are more dif- 
ficult to grow. : 
What varieties are best for me 
to plant? 
All the varieties we list are tried 
and tested. Therefore, your 
choice is dependent on the type 
fruit you want and the ripening 
season desired. Your State Col- 
lege or Experiment Station 
will also be glad to supply rec- 
ommendations for your particu- 
lar section and soil condition. 
How do I take care of my Boy- 
senberry plants? 
Set the plants as we suggest in 
the planting guide sent with all 
orders. Let the canes trail on 
the ground the first year. Then 
they should be tied to a trellis 
the Spring of the second year. 
Can I plant Apple trees next to 
other fruit trees, such as Pears 
and Peaches? 
The orchard can be mixed just 
as you want it, although many 
practical gardeners prefer to 
segregate the different kinds for 
convenience in spraying and gen- 
eral culture. 
How close must my trees be for 
proper cross-pollination? 
Individual trees not over 500- 
1000 feet apart will P® satisfac- 
torily cross pollinated, if the 
weather at blossoming time is 
warm enough for bees to be ac- 
tive. In solid blocks of closely 
planted trees, however, poliniz- 
ers should be provided every 
third or fourth row for best 
results. 
Are Dwarf Apple Trees practical 
for commercial planting? 
From experimental data now be- 
coming available, we have every 
reason to believe that dwarf 
trees will be a success in com- 
mercial orchards. However, un- 
til dwarf rootstocks are avail- 
able in large numbers, large 
plantings will not be possible. 
How can I tell if my soil is suffi- 
ciently acid for Blueberries? 
Soil having an acidity testing 
between pH of 4.4 and 5.0 is con- 
sidered best. If you cannot have 
your soil tested locally, send a 
sample to your State Experi- 
ment Station (see list below) 
and they will test it for you. 
Also page 22. 
Where is my State Experiment 
Station? 
Connecticut __.....__..New Haven . 
Delaware —______..___.__ Newark 
Hlinois #2 ee rbana 
Indiana) = Latayette 
Kentuckys 2 eee Lexington 
Maines 23 eee Orono 
Maryland _____._College Park 
Massachusetts —.________- Amherst 
Michigan p22 se East Lansing 
Missounl ee eee Columbia 
Planting 
15. Q. 
16. Q. 
A 
17. Q. 
18. 
19. 
20. 
21. Q. 
If your question is not answered here, 
write on a sheet of paper separate from 
the order blank. Additional planting and 
cultural information is contained in the 
Guide we send you free. 
New Hampshire Durham 
New Jersey _— New Brunswick 
New York: Geneva 
North Carolina ___._______ Raleigh 
Ohioxs=aae Gea e te Wooster 
Pennsylvania —___ State College 
Rhode Island 222 as Kingston 
Vermont —___.._.______ Burlington 
Virginia, =e Blacksburg 
West Virginia _____..Morgantown 
Wisconsin __..___..Madison 
Will the Roses and shrubs I 
plant this Spring bloom this 
Summer? 
The Roses will bloom profusely 
all Summer. Be sure to trim 
them at planting time as we 
direct in the planting guide. 
Many shrubs will also bloom the 
first year but some which form 
flowers only on two-year wood 
may not blossom until next year. 
What can I do to. prevent rabbit 
and mouse injury? 
Keep the area about 12 inches 
around each tree cultivated; put 
cinders at the base of the tree, 
and clean up any nearby trash 
or brtish where rabbits and mice 
may harbor. Hunt the rabbits 
and destroy them, and poison 
mice according to recommenda- 
tions available to you from your 
Experiment Station. 
What shade tree will grow the 
fastest, provide suitable shade 
and look good? i 
Our recommendation is the Chi- 
nese Elm, illustrated and de- 
scribed on page 54. Like many 
of the soft wood trees, it is, how- 
ever, subject to splitting from 
heavy loads of ice and sleet, if 
the trees are not kept properly 
trimmed. 
Are English Walnuts and Fil- 
berts hardy where I live? 
When we ‘have Winters like 
those of 1933-34 and 1942-48, the 
trees might be injured, if they 
are not in a particularly shel- 
tered area. Generally they will 
succeed where you find Peach 
trees growing. 
What size trees do you recom- 
mend ? | 
We recommend the largest size 
and grade. After all, the first 
price paid for the tree is the 
cheapest part of the investment. 
However, all the trees and 
plants we offer are up to grade 
and A-1 quality. 
Why don’t you sell trees: older 
and larger than those listed in 
your catalogue? 
Older and larger trees do not 
transplant so well and are diffi- 
cult for the planter to handle. 
Also the cost per tree is higher 
than the average buyer cares to 
pay. 
If I use commercial nitroge- 
nous fertilizer such as Nitrate of 
Soda or Sulphate of Ammonia, 
how much should I use? 
