The Newark Journal

CARING FOR NURSERY STOCK

Trees and Shrubs Sent by Mail Frequently Dry Out Badly While Enroute to Consignee.

It is sometimes difficult for communities or individuals located at some distance from the postoffice, along a rural mail route, to get trees and shrubs from nurseries in a fresh condition, owing to irregular mail service. Often times nursery stock is pretty well dried out when received by the purchaser. Trees and shrubs must be fresh if they are to survive after planting. The following suggestion from Prof. W. J. Morrill, of the Colorado Agricultural college may prove helpful:

"Have someone receive the stock immediately upon its arrival at the postoffice or express office at the other end of the route. Have them heel the trees in a moist, shallow trench, covering the roots with moist earth and leaving the tops out but shaded from sun or protected from drying winds, and so hold until someone is coming to your place or until you can go in to get them. The trees will thus be protected from drying out and will be in good condition, with such treatment, for a week or so. In carrying them home, keep the roots moist and covered, away from the sun and dry air."

Young Fruit Stock Heeled in to Prevent Drying Out.
BUYING TREES FOR ORCHARD

Best to Patronize Reliable Nursery as Near Home as Possible—Be Cautious of Agents.

Always buy trees of a reliable nursery as near at home as possible. It is all right to buy of traveling agents if you like, but it is advisable to gather a little information beforehand for yourself so that you will not be taken in. In fact, if you contemplate establishing an orchard of any size it might pay to make a personal trip to the nursery. You can learn a great deal, and might get enough discount on your order for buying direct to pay all your expenses. The trouble with most agents is that they do not try to understand our situation, but try to sell you as many trees as possible of every kind and variety they have listed. Unless you know what you want they can do it, too.
GOOD LOCATION FOR ORCHARD

Purely Home Affair Should Be Near House—Put Commercial Orchard Anywhere Convenient.

The purely home orchard should be near the house, and a combination orchard should be as near the house as the proper land for it may be had. It matters little where the purely commercial orchard is placed, if it has good soil, provided you see that it is placed convenient to the road so that no time will be lost in handling the fruit when harvesting time comes.
HORTICULTURAL NOTES

Set out the young orchard as soon as frost is out of the ground.

Pick the apples carefully without bruising if you want them to keep well.

The strawberry patch should be covered with straw mulch just as cold weather sets in.

Mulching of trees and shrubs with manure late in the fall tends to protect the roots from freezing and thawing and also helps to hold moisture in the soil.

See that the southwest side of young fruit trees and smooth-barked ornamental trees are protected from the sun. Lath, wire screens, or corn fodder may be used for this purpose.