Martinsburg statesman-democrat. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1906-1921, 1911-09-29
NURSERY STOCK
TIME TO CONSIDER PURCHASE
OF TREES FOR FALL OR
SPRING PLANTING.
Written Expressly For This Paper BY
VIM. n. Alderman, Professor of
Horticulture, West Virginia
University.

University.
| The time ia now at hand when the
fruit grover should consider the pur-
chase of trees for his fall or spring
| planting. The demand for trees has
| become 50 great that the oyerworked
nursefyG,en from Maine to Oregon are
unable to furnish an adequate supply
| in ali varieties. Many of them have
already contracted for over half of
| tier stock II you are looking for
first class trees and are at all particu,
lar about getting tho varieties ordered
| it would be advisable to arrange your
| purchase Us eeon as possible.
Visit the Nursery.
II you are buying a coed sized order
| i would pay % w.t. TAG nursery and
select the trees batere they are dug
Mc.t nurserymen viii allow pur
| ca0ser to so through their blocks and
mark the trees he wishes to buy. In
this way one nay secure the most Wig
orcus and best shaped trees in the lot,
ana can be reasonably sure that they
viii be true to name, for most of the
| variety mixtures are made in the con
fusion Of the packing shed. Insist that
your trees shall not be dug until the
| leaves have nearly all fallen, for this
| means that the buds are we'll ripened
and that the wood is hard and mature.
Much has been spoken and written
about the adyisability of buying trees
| from nearby nurseries where condi-
tons are similar to those in your
| orchard. While this is a factor that it
might be well to consider, it is of far
more Importance to secure a good tree
with a good root system. There is
much evidence to show that it matters
, little from what part of the country
tree comes, provided it is healthy, Wig
/ orous and has not been injured in dig
ging or shipping.
Warnings or TWo-Year-OIds.
With apples it is always an unset
tied question whether it is better to
buy straight whips one year old or
more expensive two-year-old trees on
which the main branches are already
started. The advantages in favor of
the smaller trees are, first, cheapness;
second small root systems which will
require only a small hole at planting
time; third, the head may be formed
at any height to suit the growers
fancy; fourth, the root systems re-
ceive less injury in digging than do
those of larger trees. The advantages
of the two-year-olds are, first, trees
with Ill 1.
ed thereby insuring uniform and sym
metrical orchard trees; second, they
will probably reach bearing size year
sooner than one-year-old tree third,
it Is easier to detect crown gall OF
hairy root upon them than upon year.
lings Between first class trees OF
both ages the twoyear-olds are the
most desirable. 1t is, however, some.
times dilIlcult to get good two-year-olds
because the nursery block has been
sorted over the previous year and the
best trees scld as yearlings. Between
first class yearling and a second
grade two-year-old, the younger tree
would undoubtedly be the better. New
er buy three or four-year-old trees be-
cause these are the culls of previous
years which were so weak and small
that they had to be grown the extra
season or two in order to bring them
to a marketable size.
Crown Gall.
The most prevalent disease that at.
tacIs nursery trees, and against which
purchasers should be on their guard,
is Grown Gall or Hairy Root, the two
names coming from the two distinctive
forms of the same disease There are
some differences of opinion among
plant pathologists regarding the ulti-
mate effects of this disease upon or
chard trees, but all agree that it is
very unsafe to plant infested stock.
Make no contract or arrangement with
a nurseryman which will not allow you
| to throw out all trees that show any
sign of the disease. The WOODY aphis
causes small irregular swellings to ap-
| pear upon the roots that might be mis-
taken for small gals, but inasmuch as
| the aphis is to be more dreaded than
the aforementioned disease, have no
| hesitation about discarding these trees
! also.