Bridgeton pioneer., 1884-12-11
MISTAKES IN TREE PLANTING.

inexperienced orchardists who pur-
chase their trees at nurseries, and pay
good price for them in order to get
theirmoney's worth, prefer large, hand
some specimens. These are set out
with the full spread of their ample
heads, without further care. The
owner has not particularly observed
how much of the roots have been taken
up in digging them, or remembered or
known the fact that nurserymen can
not secure more than q small portion
of the roots belonging to good sized
trees" A long time is required for
them to recover from the check thus
given them. With smaller trees,
much larger proportion of the roots
may be easily taken, and very little
check occasioned in their subsequent
growth. Buying these large trees in
stead of small and thrifty ones is the
first mistake.
The next error is in leaving the large
trees with their short roots to hold
them firmly without support, and the
wind sways them about, forming hole
in the ground about the stems, admit
ting drying air, and injuring or killing
them. Proper stalking would prevent
this harm; but selecting small trees
with their ample roots would entirely
obviate stalking. The second error is
the omission of this care.
But a greater mistake is in planting
the large trees with their full branching
heads entire. The wind has ample
purchase on them, they have more
leaves than the roots can properly
feed, and they are accordingly stunted
ingrowth. This harm would be avoided
by cutting back three-fourths or more
of the length of all the previous years
growth before the buds swell Trees
set out side by side for experiment, a
part of them unpruned, and another
portion shortened back, have shown a
striking result; the latter sending out
new growth half a foot or foot in
length the first year, and the former
only an inch or two. The omission of
cutting back is the third error.
The greatest mistake of all is giving
the young trees no cultivation; allow
ing the soil to become hard and crusted,
or covered with weeds and grass.
Some kinds of trees feel this neglect
more than others-peaches the most,
cherry trees the least; but with all this
neglect is highly detrimental. Many
young and newly set trees die in conse-
quence, and those which survive may
grow two or three inches, while wide
surface of well mellowed and clear
ground will often cause the trees to
make two or three feet of growth, if
in connection with other good treat
ment.
We could cite numerous instances
proving the truth of the preceding po-
sitions. The late DR.. Kennicott once
informed us that in purchasing trees
for customers, he always succeeded
best with those of second or third
quality in appearance and size, and at
low prices, because he could easily in
duce purchasers to head them back
freely, but they could not be persuaded
to spoil the large, handsome heads of
the high-priced trees by pruning. The
smaller ones had of course the better
roots, as they were more easily taken
up. We have seen young and newly
set peach orchard, one portion of which
was neglected and the other well cult
waited in potatoes, none of the latter
of which grew less than a foot and a
half, and some nearly twice as much
the first Summer, while none of the
former made shoots three inches long
A writer in the Practical Farmer men
tions several instances where quite
small tree We're transplanted in the
same orchards, along with fine six
foot trees, but in every case the former
outgrew and outbore the latter in the
course of few years. Country Gen