The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1913-02-11
DESIRABLE Es'||
Kind OF 'NdFsery Stock To
Purchase
Young Woody Fruits And
Plants Profitable

A great many amateur gardeners
express disappointment because their
woody fruit plants do not come into
bearing as quickly as they have calcu-
lated upon. Of course there may be
individual local conditions that are re-
sponsible for this hardness; the soil
may be too wet or unsuitable. the trees
or bushes may suffer from the attacks
Of insects or other plant enemies, or
the gardener may not handle the sub
jects properly. Perhaps, however, the
principal reason for failure Is In the
choice Of the plants themselves. Quite
apart from any question Of soil fertil.
ty, moisture supply or handling, is the
question Of age Of the stock purchased.
No doubt the desire of every garden.
er is to have his plants come into
bearing as early as possible. In or
der to secure this desired end, there
fore, preference Is given to large-sized
plants for setting out in the fruit plan
tation. In countless cases the nursery
agent is to blame for overruling the
better Judgment OF the gardener, who
may know. but not know definitely
enough that young plants can be trans
planted with more certainty Of success
than can old and large ones.
It Is not true that large plants will
produce fruit earlier or even as early
as younger plants properly taken care
of. The reasons are that the longer q
plant remains In the nursery row, the
larger its roots will become and the
greater must necessarily be the
amount OF root surface cut Off when
the tree Is dug for shipment to the
orchardist. As a consequence. the tree
suffers greatly, especially II the top is
not severely pruned back by the plant.
er at the time Of planting to balance
the reduced rootsurface. Unprooned
trees frequently fall because the leaf
surface transpires water faster than
the disabled root area can gather It.
Preference should always be given to
the younger tree or shrub for these
reasons.
Too gyeat emphasis can not be plac
ed upon the advisability of purchasing
young woody fruit trees. The grower
should always choose well-grown
well.developed plant. not older than
mentioned below because he will thus
get better shaped specimen, will lose
less root surface, will stand a better
show Of making the plant grow, espe
cially II he gives proper attention tc
pruning and because II will cost him
much less than the large plant. Not
only all these, but he will In SO cases
out Of 100 get the young plant into
bearing before the older plant would
begin to produce fruit.
II is a good plan for the amateur to
follow the practise Of the professional
fruit grower as nearly as he can. es
pecially In the choice OF his nursery
stock. No commercial fruit gorwel
thinks Of buying apple, pear. cherry
or plum trees older than two years
from the bud A very large number
prefer to buy those kinds OF trees on
ly one year from the bud. This term
from the bud" means that the plant
has been grown in the nursery row
for two seasons. after the bud Of the
desired variety has been inserted In
a Seeding stock, either root graft
(as In the case Of apples and pears)
or a young Seeding las In the case
OF plums and cherries). There is
no difference OF opinion as to the
peach; all peach growers are agreed
that a one year old tree Is as old as II
Ia desirable to choose. In the South
where June budded", peach trees can
be secured. the trees are set even
younger than ono year.
| Ounces are usually grown from
stool layers, It IL desirable to choose
plants not over one year. When they
are transplanted, however, at the end
Of the first season. there is no objec
tianto their being two years old when
pOrchased. This same remark applies
to currants and gooseberries. which
are usually reproduced by means oi
cuttings. A 2.ysAf transplanted goose
berry or currant bush 10 better than q
i.year plant, ~, II It has not been
transplanted at the end Of the frat
season. preference should be given "a
the l.year.old plant.
| There is little likelihood for the pur
chaser Of raspberry, blackberry OF