Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1856-05-09
Agricultural Reading.
From the Country Gentleman
Transplanting Fruit Trees.

I
Cheever for the following valuable hints
on this subject. His long and very sue
cessful experience, both in farming and
tree planting, amply proves that the ope-
rations of either the field or the orchard
need only be conducted with the requi-
site degree of care and thought, to avoid
most of those losses to which both are
commonly subject. We will hazard
the promise of far less than ordinary
proportion of failures in transplanting, to
those who pay attention to the directions
he gives below.)
Seeing an article in the Country Gen
tleman of the 9th of March, upon the
subject of Transportation of Trees" it
occurred to me that few suggestions up
on the subject of transplanting fruit trees
might not be out of place at this time of
the year.
have had some experience in trans
planting trees, and lately with good sue
cess. set an orchard of 165 trees in
1851, and every one lived. 1 set three
small orchards in the spring of 1854,
and Notwithstanding the almost unprece-
denied drouth of that year, 1 lost but one
tree. Two of the orchards were upon
very dry gravel soil. There I lost one.
L dug pit for each tree about 16 or Is
inches deep, in basin form, about 8 feet
in diameter, and put in large wheelbar-
row load of good loan soil. Upon this
L set the tree, holding it in my hand
while my man with shovel sprinkled
the soil which came from the top of the
pit to the roots, having been first made
fine. The tree is moved up and down so
that the fine soil is worked under the
roots until they are fully covered, and
should the roots be so shaped and as clus-
tered as to form a roof to prevent the soil
getting fully up under the center, the
hand is used to accomplish it. When |
the roots are covered, quart or two of
water is turned upon the center of the
roots, which forms mud directly under
the body of the tree. Then dry soil is |
again thrown on, upon which the person
holding the tree steps, planting his
feet 4 or 8 inches from the tree upon
each side, and so passes thereon round it.
The water or mud will by this pressure
be forced up to the top of the ground,
which gives evidence that all the space
under the roots is filled.
The soil is then thrown around the
tree to about the height it was in the nur-
sery, but raising circle around it high
enough to hold pailful of water. I'll
the season is one with ordinary rains.
they will leave out and grow. If they
should not, or the season is dry, place
around them some broken straw and
long manure, giving each a paiIful or
halt pailful of water. Should any fail
to leave out with this treatment. throw
around the trunk quite up to the limbs or
urther, thin layer of straw, putting on
he upper layer first, and then with la
lie turn water upon the upper end of the
traw until the tree is thoroughly wet,
md repeat it daily. This will seldom fail
o bring out the leaf; and save the tree.
Should any of the trees falter through
he summer, as they may, if dry one,
5lye them a pail of water in the basin
prepared for it, and they will go through.
This is some trouble, but if a tree ;s
buying and setting, it is worth saving. h
have saved trees which had been
Tery much dried before they reached me.
y digging trench in wet place, and
reading them down so that the body will
Ne atan angle OF, say, 80 degrees with /,
he ground. If water shows itself in the
rench it is no objection. When the roots
re so covered, the buds will open if there
any vegetable life in the tree. They
hould then be set.
livery much prefer the spring to the
all for setting trees; but as the early
art OF the fall is the best time for getting
chance of trees in the nursery. if is :
Teii to take them out at that time, and
eel them down in dry ground, in a pro- |
ected spot, until spring, and then set {
hem. Itreated pears and plums in that {
ray the last year taken from Thorburn I
Z Co.'S Nursery, Albany, and every one +
we'd, and more than half of them rinen- I
d fruit the first year.
S. CHEEvER. T
Waterford, March 9th, 1856. {