Rensselaer Union, Volume 8, Number 2, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 30 September 1875 — When to Plant. [ARTICLE]

When to Plant.

Perhaps I had better begin by telling my readers when not to plant—viz.: when there is little or no root-action, as in midwinter; secondly, when evaporation is excessive, as at midsummer, unless means can be found to/-check evaporation till such time as thewounded roots are healed sufficiently to absorb an ample supply of moisture. If I were obliged to choose between these two extremes I should certainly for most plants prefer operating at midsummer; for then, if the work is carefully and quickly done on a day when the atmosphere is not deficient of moisture, root-action recommences in a few hours, I think I might say minutes, and our suspense is very short indeed, for then if a blank should occur we can for certain fill it up in October. Those who have not been obliged by circumstances to try midsummer planting would be astonished to see the amount of torture a healthy plant will bear at that time. When making new walks, etc., in ornamental grounds I have had gobd-sized trees out of the ground two or three weeks during June or July with merely a bit of grass wrapped round their roots, and they suffered very little from it; of course they had good balls and they were well planted. If there are young, immature growths they should be cut back when this can be done without disfigurement. Andther plan is to check evaporation by syringing whiting and water, or even dirty water, over the foliage. Whiting is best as it reflects the sun’s rays. I have no faith whatever in syringing outdoor plants with clear water in hot weather, unless it is for the purpose of knocking off insects, and these can be kfcpt off easier, better, and with less injury to the trees in other ways. My own way is to syringe all subject to insect attacks with soft-soap water, about two ounces to the gallofi, once or twice during the growing season. Let those wfip wish to be fashionable use the patent compounds; I am content to be old-fashioned- and use soft-soap, which is unpalatable to every insect with which a ganlener is tormented, including mealy-bug. I have had several battles with this detested enemy, but so far, thanks to soft-soap and my own blear

eyesight (I would mA trust any other pair of eyes besides my own), I have been able to kill the animal without materially injuring the vegetable life. Soft-soap will also kill mildew on peach trees much more speedily than sulphur will. The mildew on roses is harder to kill, but even it will succumb to a tolerably-strong dose. It should be applied in the evening after the sun is off the plants. But my text is “When to plant,” and I have not yet said anything about it. Well, the time to plant is as soon as the leaf-growth is fairly matured in autumn, and before the roots have ceased to grow, while the ground is warm and sweet and in a fit state to be properly worked. Last September I planted over half a mile of ornamental box-edging; it took less than a third of the time it would take to do in the winter or -early spring, because the weather vas good, the day pot too short and the soil worked beautifully. My man said: “Narra good to plantun now, measter, the vrost all haave it out;” but,. however, With a little forcible persuasion, it was planted; and the surface of the ground close to the box was kept loosened instead of remaining firm as it was made up; consequently the frost, of which we had rather more than a sufficiency, did it no injury, and when examined in the' spring it had roots two inches long:, and the top commenced growth as early as that which had not been shifted. Many people are afraid to move fruit frees before the leaves have fallen; this is quite a mistake. It is best for the growths to be matured, but immature growths can always be cut off, and if the leaves are so numerous as to cause excessive evaporation, arid consequent shriveling of the bark, it Is a good plan to thin with the scissors, but not too much, for the more leaves a plant will bear without shriveling the quicker will root-action commence. It does not injure a tree a tenth part as much to move it before its leaves are fallen as it doesdo move_ it in the spring when its buds are beginning imperceptibly to swell, and its circulation, owing to the absence of vigorous root-action, is sluggish. I moved many fruit trees last October, including pears of a good size on the pear stock, and they can hardly bedistinguished now. Such is never the case with spring-planted trees in the first season, and very often they do not recover at all. Another re.ason for amateurs planting early is that the nurserymen cannot plant till amateurs have finished, and consquently the later we defer ouff planting the less likely are we in future to obtain healthy young trees from the venders.— William Taylor, in N. Y. World.