PLANTING TREES.

Globe, Volume XXII, Issue 2076, 19 October 1880, Page 3

PLANTING TREES.

[From the " Prairie Farmer."]

At the late meeting of the Ingham (Mich.) Horticultural Society, Mr G-eorge W. Parks read the following paper. The experience of the writer and the timely suggestions contained in his essay are well worth considering : General Rules.—As there are no two trees just alike in all respects, and as the different kinds of trees need different treatment, one can hardly give any definite rule that will meet all emergencies. The apple tree roots are generally spreading and well furnished with rootlets, and the cherry, plum, peach, and dwarf pear roots are very similar, while the standard pear has a long, smooth root, sometimes reaching eighteen or twenty inches into the ground, with but very few fibrous roots. The first five kinds having a similar kind of root, we would apply the same rule in planting. But before we plant trees we must get the land ready, as we would not think of planting a tree in turfed and uncultivated grounds. If the grounds are not possessed of natural drainage they should be thoroughly underdrained, then it should be ploughed and dragged down smooth. This done, we would proceed to make a plat of the grounds, determining the kind of trees wanted and the number of each kind naming each kind on the plat. If one is missing, you will know what kind it is by referring to the plat. Distances. —Before we proceed to plant we must know how far apart to plant. I would plant apple trees 30ft apart in rows each way, cherry 20ft, plum 15ft, peach 18ft, standard pear 20ft, dwarf pear 12ft, quince Bft. Specific Directions.—Our ground prepared, plat made, and trees at hand (heeled in near by), we will proceed to plant. I would dig holes considerably larger than required to receive the roots, and some deeper. If I found poor clay or sand on the bottom I would fill in with good earth, leaving the hole deep enough to set the tree 1 inch deeper than it was while standing in the nursery. I would take out the trees one at a time, cut off all bruised roots, cutting from the underside, shorten all very long roots. Be sure you hare trees match with plat. Set in the hole, use fine dirt near roots, see that they are spread out each way from body, crowd dirt around roots with the hand to cover them, fill in good earth, crowd it down with one foot, using care not to bruise the tree or roots. I would then mulch with coarse straw, manure or sawdust, removing it in midsummer, and hoe them two or three times during each summer until they grow to bearing trees. Cropping—Some crop that requires hoeing is the most desirable for a young orchard. Oats, wheat, barley, or rye, should never be sown in a young orchard, as it takes the manure from the ground when it is most needed, that is to say, in midsummer. When to Plant.—The proper time to plant fruit trees is when the buds are in a dormant state. The spring seems to be the most uatural time to plant trees. But trees can be very successfully planted in the fall, provided the grounds have received sufficient moisture. I am decidedly in favor of early planting, that the trees may have the benefit of the early spring rains after having been transplanted into their new quarters, to settle the earth around the roots, that they may be better prepared to meet the drouth of midsummer. The autumn is also a desirable time to plant trees, if the season is not too dry. How to Stake Trees—Procure stakes, the length to be governed by the height of trees. Have them long enough to cross the tree, after being driven into the ground at an angle of forty-five degrees, at a proper distance from the ground to stay the tree. Procure strips of stout cloth, pass one round the stake and cross it were stake comes in contact with tree, then pass it around both stake and tree and tie firmly, using one stake to each tree, Planting in Grass.—Should it be necessary to plant trees in grass plats, where cultivation and ploughing before planting must be dispensed with, I would dig a hole about four feet in diameter, taking the sod away, laying it one side. I would then take out the fine earth, put that in another place, digging the hole deep enough to receive the sod in the bottom of it, covering it with fine _ earth, raising it to a proper depth to receive the tree. I would then proceed to plant the tree, using soft earth around the roots. If the natural soil is good, there will be earth enough at hand, but if poor, good earth should be substituted.

Fertilizer!. —If manure is used around young trees it should be worked into the soil from the surface. No manures should be used around the roots of any tree. Peat or swamp muck is good, if used with other soil, to put around roots and put into the bottom of the hole before planting.