. Better fruit. Fruit-culture. March, ip2i BETTER FRUIT Page p Take Care of Nursery Trees Large numbers of nursery trees, espe- cially fruit trees, either fail to grow or are badly set back by carelessness and delay in planting. Such trees may have been well grown and vigorous in the nursery, and may have been well pro- tected in winter, packed carefully, and shipped promptly, but are so poorly handled before planting that they are seriously damaged. In many cases the blame that is laid on the nurseryman is really the fault of the buyer and planter. The Bureau of Plant Industry, Pennsyl- vania
. Better fruit. Fruit-culture. March, ip2i BETTER FRUIT Page p Take Care of Nursery Trees Large numbers of nursery trees, espe- cially fruit trees, either fail to grow or are badly set back by carelessness and delay in planting. Such trees may have been well grown and vigorous in the nursery, and may have been well pro- tected in winter, packed carefully, and shipped promptly, but are so poorly handled before planting that they are seriously damaged. In many cases the blame that is laid on the nurseryman is really the fault of the buyer and planter. The Bureau of Plant Industry, Pennsyl- vania Department of Agriculture, gives the following points regarding the treatment of nursery trees so as to ob- tain the best results. (1) As soon as received examine the roots to see if they are still moist. If not moisten them immediately and keep them so until they go into the ground. Never allow the roots to dry out even for a few minutes. (2) If the trees cannot be planted immediately heel them in by digging a shallow trench and covering the roots and lower stems with moist earth. (3) Just before planting prune both roots and tops. Take away most of the fibrous roots which are likely to be dead and useless. Cut such small root- lets near the larger roots with a clean cut. Always trim the roots with a slanting cut on the under surface to hasten rootlet growth. Prune the top to a single whip and shorten it so that the top will make a trunk of the desired height. After growth is well started pinch or rub off all but the three or four shoots that will be needed to form the main branches of the tree. (4) The soil should be loamy and loose so as to allow the new rootlets to reach said food very quickly after they are formed. (5) Plant a few inches deeper than the tree stood in the nursery. The hole should be large enough to contain the roots in their natural position without bending or crushing. (6) Do not merely fill in the hole after the plant is set and tramp the earth about the
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