Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1879-06-12
HOUSE; FARM ANb GARDEN:
Setting Ont Trees:

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,~.-~r-~..,,,s.s~ Setting Ont Trees: zr=a=s>=~-
Tie following, practical directions fof
transplantiug fruit trees are furnished by
P. Barry, Of the Mount Hope nurseries,
to the Rochester Democrat:
The Soil Of Fruit Trees.-The average
soil to be found in the garden of any
part of our city is good enough in its nat
ural state. All it needs is good deep
blowing or spading, to fit it for trees. It
must be free from stagnant water. No
one would think Of permitting the garden
which surrounds his dwelling to remain
swamp. For health's sake the drainage
must be perfect. The health of fruit
trees requires this too.
Hon. to Plant.-Inexper1enced persons
are very apt to make great fuss over the
planting Of a tree; or they will run to the
other extreme and cram it into the ground
as they would bean pole. Very com
mon errors are planting too deeply
and applying manure around the roots.
No manure is needed at time Of plant
ing-wait till the trees get to growing
and then apply the manure, if needed,
on the surface of the ground over the
roots. Dig hole large enough and deep
enough to receive tie roots, spread out
in their natural way, and so that the tree
will stand no deeper in the ground than
it did in the nursery; than fill in good
surface earth among the roots carefully.
filling every space. When the spaces are
all filled a, d the roots covered, then be-
gin to pack the earth as it goes in, and
keep packing firmly till the work is COM
plete. To the errors have already men
tioned-deep planting, and manure at
the roots-I will add the ether-loosc
planting, which is very general and very
fatal. Don't be afraid of making the
earth too firm about the roots.
The Use Water in Planting.-It Is very
common to pour water around the roots
of tree at planting, without stopping to
inquire why. Unless the soil is extreme
ly dry, in the spring, and the tree has al
ready commenced to grow, water does
more harm than good. And right here it
may as we'll be said, If dry weather en-
sues after planting so as to effect the tree
do not sprinkle every day, but remove
two inches Of the surface over the roots
and pour water enough to go clear down
to the lowest roots-replace the earth and
mulch with a little hay or grass, or straw
or tanbark, or something to
prevent rapid evaporation. Seldom
Will any more water he needed.
What Kind Of Trees 10 Plant.-Most
people want large trees, must have large
trees; when the planting humor comes
patience seems to be lost-must have
trees that will bear right away. Looking
at trees just of the proper size they will
exclaim, "Who could wait for such whips
to bear9' 'We may all be in our graves
before that time True enough there
may be exceptional cases when few
large trees, removed and planted with ex-
traord1nary care, may I've a success, but in
a general way the trees that plant most
successfully aud thrive best after plant
ing, and ultimately make the most healthy
productive and long-lived tress, are those
transplanted young-say apples three or
four years, pears and plums, two to four
years, cherries two years, peaches one
year. The age means the growth of
the bud or graft, and has no reference to
age of the stock grated or budded upon
The older the tree the greater the check
in transplanting, and this is why tho
young trees will ovcrtakc and pass the
older and larger tree in the race of growth
But whatever may be the age, size or
character of your tree look we'll to its
roots. Have them all, or as many If
them as may be possible, preserved from
mutilation or injury of any kind and pro-
tect them from the air, SO that they will
not be dried to death before you get them
in the ground. I see people every year
handling trees as if they were drv brush,
and it should he an indictablc offence.
What about Pruning at the time of
Transplanting?- This is Il mooted ques-
ton, but long experience shows that
whatever theory may teach, it Is safe to
shorten back the branches at time of
planting; this by reducing the number
| OF leaf buds, and consequently leaves, re-
duces their evaporating powers while the
| tree is forming new roots and getting
used to its new home. a good rule, as
| far as VIC can make a rule, is to cut back
the young shoots to two or three buds at
the base, and where shoots arc too close
cut out some Of them altogether
Hoa0 far apart should Trees be Planted?
The average distance may be given as
follows: Standard trees-Apples, thirty
feet, pears and cherries, twenty feet, the
smaller class Of cherries will do very well
at fifteen to eighteen feet; plums, peaches,
apricots and nectarines, sixteen to eigh
teen feet, ounces, ten to twelve feet
Dwarf trces-Apples on paradise stock,
six feet apart, and nothing in the whole
range of fruit culture is more interesting
than these miniature apple trees, three or
four feet in height and the same in diam
cter, whether in blossom or fruit. Pears.
cherries and plums, ten to twelve feet,
Currants, gooseberries and raspbcrrics.
| three to four feet. These distances can
of course he varied to suit circumstances