The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1870-12-06
agricultural department.
CONDUCTED BY ALBERT CHAPMAN.
Transplanting and Management Of
Trees in the Orchard and Garden


AS the season is at hand for planting,
we extract from one of the /" Lowell Lee.
lures" the following excellent suggestions
by p. Barry the well known and exper-
fenced nurseryman of Rochester, New
York:
"The important points in land
treatment can only be best done before
the trees are set out so that before we
send our orders to the nurseryman we
should have finished our draining, subsoil-
ing, and trcnching. A neglect of proper
preparations for planting causes great
loss. The majority of trees from the
nursery, by unskilliul removal have mu-
tilated roots if the trees were set without
proper pruning, most of these roots would
rot, and those which escaped would grow
ieeby for long time. All these bruised
and broken roots must be ,pruned close up
to the sound woad with sharp knife,th
cut being made perfectly smooth and al
most straight $3.50 to as present as lit
tie surface as possible. Never cut the
roots downward,or so as to have the slope
on the upper side Of the wood, but up
ward; for in any other case the water
would get between the bark and wood
and rot off the root, while if rightly done
new rootlcts will be put forth from the
root end, and all 60 on well. All broken
branches must be removed, and then, the
whole top be reduced by cutting back
half, or more than half, but always keep
ing the lower branches of dwarf pears
and other pyramidal trees, longer and
stronger than the upper ones. The tree
naturally pushes'its growth upward, and
this tendency must be restrained so that
you will get the bulk of fruit near the
ground, thus avoiding top-heaviness, and
liability to branch-breaking by high winds
Keep a due portion between root and
branches, so that there will always be
enough root to furnish food, and no waste
of strength in superfuous wood and leaf
production. We aim at getting fruit in
large quantity, and of distributing it
equally over the tree, that no part may
be overtaxed, or weakened. Almost
ninety OF every hundred tree purchasers
set such store by the nice, long, smooth
branches of their trees, as they come
from the nursery, that they spare the
knife, and set them out just as received.
Let them beware how they are thus
penny wise and pound foolish" for their
trees are checked and stinted in growth,
and are left far behind others which have
been boldly and iudiciously pruned.
Many persons think trees should be ma
nured, like hill Of potatoes, at times of
planting. Such are likely to kill their
trees by over-much kindness Good fresh
surface soil-if light and sandy, all the
better-is what should be put around
trees at the time Of planting. Nothing
need be said about holc-digging, for the
whole soil where trees were to be planted
should be so well prepared that a hole
needs only to be large enough to admit
the roots The roots should be set about
four or FIVE inches below the surface. In
light soils they may be set deeper than in
heavy ones, because heat more readily
passes downward. The thorough cult
walton of the soil among fruit trees can
be neglected only at the planters peril.
I" In fields Of grain the poor trees are
smothercd by their avaricious or unwise
owners. When the rows are thirty or
forty feet apart, almost any farm crop
may be grown between, but at least six
feet of ground beyond the extremities of
the roots should be implanted, and kept
as clean and as mellow as it would be
about hill Of potatoes or corn. No weeds
must exercise Mr.. Douglass squatter
sovereignty privilege, unless one wishes
to starve his trees to the extent of the
food these pestiferous plants consume
Remember this point, for it is of the ut.
most Importance but in putting it into
practice, remember also that in your
hand-hoeing, or horse-hoeing, the tree
roots must not be disturbed. A light
annual dressing of compost should be
spread upon the surface early in winter
and spring forked in. Road-scrapings
ditoh-bottoms, and such matter, are goot
for application to light soil, and heavy
leaf-mould, and decaying vegetables, with
stable manure for heavy SOIL are good il
compost. Occasional light dressings o
lime, ashes, and even salt will be found ben
efcial Mulching in summer should be
very light, just light enough to keep dow
weeds. and once week, or once month
as the case may be, must be removed fo
as thorough torking Of the grounds al
can be given without injury to the tre'
roots The object sought in pruning frui
trees is to regulate their growth ant
bearing, so as to secure at once partic
ular form with greatest vigor and fruit
iulness. The only instrument used in
good nursery is the pruning-knife an,
this should be kept so sharp that any or
binary branch may be Topped off at
single draw, leaving a perfectly smootl
surface. Sheers should never be used
A saw is only required when trees hav,
been neglected. Branches removed shout,
be cut close to the trunk, so that tn
tree may not be injured by the decay o
stump. Shorten shoots to goot
strong bud that will make leader, no
too close to nor too far from the bud, an
with slope of cut of about forty-fve de
grees. In shortening your leader, don
always cut on the same side, for yo
would make the whole tree lean one wa
or the other Pruning, rightly DONE is
blessing; wrongly, a curse.
Standard apple trees in orchards re
quire very little pruding, II the head
formed at II proper distance from tn
ground, say four Or five feet. and tn
main branches to form the frame work c
the head are started in the right diret
ton, as nearly IS possible equally distant
inclning upward and outward, the sui
sequent pruning will consist in removin
branches where they are likely to becom
crowded or 10 cross each other. Th
natural growth of varieties differing, on
pruning should be modified to suit eac
special case. Apple-trees not prune
generally bear heavy crop of fruit on