The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1858-12-25
Agricultural.
Tree Planting.

Among the fruit trees, the apple, the ounce
and the peach emit ronts much more freely
than the pear, plum, and cherry-and in light.
sandy, friable soils, form much more easily
than in stiff moist. adhesive soils. These are
familiar facts to all cultivators, and they Serve
AS guide in planting.
But under all circumstances it is unsafe to
plant tree without reducing its branches in
such manner as to compensate for the loss
o! root, and general arrangement insepcrable
from removal. Let us take. for instance an
apple tree, six feet high, with fine head and
numerous side branches. This tree was
growing vigorously in the nursery, with its
roots spread out and well at home in the soil:
but the the tree is dug and pulled up part of
Its large roots are cut off, many ofthe smaller
ones are dragged off, and before it is planted
sr cat many more are dried and killed off,
Thus the tree is left minus a great portion Of
Its feeding roots, on which the top must depend
!or support. Its nice balance. which nature
and art gave 1t III the nursery rows, is destroy
ca, and without some compensation it cannot
live-at least it cannot grow for long time
to come. The opening buds seek for nourish-
ment, but after the little stock laid up pre-
| viously, is exhausted, they can find none, and
perish they must
fla tree has attained considerable size,
and hasa branching head, these branches
should be cut back according to circums,an-
ces. A tree with large and healthy roots and
abundance of iibres, will sustain much
greater amount Of head than tree with short,
poor, or badly mutllated roots and few fibrcs.
Apples qninces, or peaches will bear more
head than pears or plums, and so on. Trees
taken fresh from the soil and rcplanted do not
require the same degree of cutting as those
that have been transported to a great distance.
Trees that arc planted in a light, mellow,
warm, soil, favorable to the formation of roots,
VIII require less cutting than those planted in
a colder, sitter soil, where roots will be emit
ted slowly. Trees taken up with the earth
around the roots, and evergreens are the only
exceptions. These are lew of the crcum-
stances to be considered by every one who
plants tree.
Pruning and cutting back, must not only
he done, but done well. 1t is next to man
slaughter to cut and slash the branches of a
tree with an old rusty saw.ctlged jackknife.-
I 1t is nothing else than tree slaughter. A
l'un'ue' knife should be as sharp and smooth
ON the edge as u razor. When a brn,ch Is lU
be wholly removed, it should Ut doEe smooth
~ close to the trunk or limb on which it
grows. liza limb is merely to be shortened,
1t should be cut close to good plump and
healthy looking bud, that promises to make
a vigorous shoot. If the future shoot is dcsir-
cd TO grow erect, the bud should of course be
on the upper side of the branch CUT and if
desired 70 take a spreading or horizontal d.
rcction, the bud should be on the under side.
The object in cutting close to the bud mot so
close as injnre i'll is to avoid the piece of dead
wood that must remain, if cut between two
buds. Then the balance of the tree must ba
thought Of If the branches are left longer
on one side than on the other the tree will
inevitably grow sid,d the shoots on one side
will be more vigorous than on the ether. and
this will be another disease. This is as plain
as we can at present make the matter in
few words. To sum it up, in short, we would
say:
First. Place the roots of your trees in soil
| favorable to the formation Of roots.
Second Reduce the heads in such manner
as 20 correspond with the character of the
tree the condition it is in and the season
and situation in which it is planted.
Third. In every operation exercise reason
| and care for it is astonishing what even the
unpracticed hand will do, if he Will but think
Gencscs Farmer.