Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1913-06-03
A. k Gardner Says Few
Words on 7 rec Planting.
$4,000 Forest Fire Reported
Prosecutions from Game Dept.
Railroad Commissioners Announce
Decision..0ther Notes.

1t is often difficult to decide why
the trees fail TO start after setting"
declares State Horticulturist Gardner.
Whether il is the fault OF The nurs-
eryman or whether it is due to lack of
care ON the part of the grower. If it
Is the fault Of the nurseryman and the
trees have been represented by him to
be OF good quality, he should UNI
doubtedly replace such trees as may
not start
on the other hand if the owner
has allowed the trees To dry. out be-
fore putting them i'll the ground, it is
unjust and harmful to ask the nurs.
eryman To replace them. This meth
cd of procedure would and does tend
to boost the price so that little finan-
cially is gained by him.
MIR. Gardner gives full discussion
of lax methods used in planting trees,
and several good reasons why they dc
not start. When the trees are re-
ceived from the nursery, they are Of
| ten left or stored where they are more
or less apt TO dry out, or start growth
| Even the best packed trees will tend
| TO dry if stored in a warm. dry room
where the evaporation is bound TO take
place more or less rapidly and the
same package will tend to start
growth in a warm, moist room if left
| there for any great length of time.
Cool, moist rooms or cellars are the
| ones that should be selected for a con-
tinued storage of fruit trees. They
should be heeled in outside as the
weather conditions will permit unless
they are to be placed directly in their
permanent location. To heel in prop
erly requires a minimum amount of
growth, preferably on north or
northwest slope.
After the trench is dug the dirt
must be placed carefully around the
roots preventing air pockets which
will allow the roots to become dry.
1t il not desirable to leave trees
lEeled in for any extended period as
il results to a greater or less degree
in loss of vgar.
Root pruning at this time is a very
important factor and one that should
never be overlooked. AS the trees
come from the nursery, there are gen.
orally a few large roots and num-
Der of small fiDerous ones. some are
ly, The idea of pruning at this time
is to increase the feeding surface
When a root is cut off cleanly, a callous
soon forms and a whorl of small root,
lets are produced around the outside
of the cut. If the roots are broken
they will decay rather than callous
a santing cut is generally preferable
to one straight across as it offers the
opportunity for producing a larger
number of small roots.
Providing that each party does his
duty only a very small percentage OF
young trees will be lost through fail
ure To start. Only the other day in
South Paris a man told me that he
bought 300 trees a few years ago: and
only one lived.
"A striking Illustration of what trees
will do when of good original quality
and well cared for is furnished by the
data on our Gregory orchards. There
are about $50 of these orchards cover
ing some 1000 trees. The average
price paid was 1886. Four hundred
and seventy of these trees died the
first season, yet only SO of this num-
Der failed To start, that is. less than {
per cent. of those killed and less than
- of per cent. of those planted and
the season was not one that was par
ticularly conducive to best results
along this line.