Book excerpt: Excerpt from Illustrated Descriptive Catalogue of Fruit and Ornamental Trees, Small Fruits, Vines, Roses, Shrubs, Etc., Etc In both standard and dwarf trees, it will be usually found a safe rule to cut back in pruning at transplanting one-half the growth of the previous season. The ends of the larger roots should be made smooth with a sharp knife where they have been roughly cut by the spade in digging, as new roots will form and the injured parts heal more readily with this attention. Planting - The holes should be dug large enough in the first place to receive the roots of the tree without' cramping or bending them from their natural posi tion. The tree having been properly pruned, should be held upright and the earth filled in about the roots, the finest and best soil from the surface being worked in among them, filling every space and bringing every root fully in contact with it. In extremely dry weather a pail of water may be poured upon the earth, to settle it about the roots, but this is seldom necessary. Finish the planting by placing soil enough about the tree to raise it somewhat higher than elsewhere, and press the soil carefully down with the foot. Care must be taken against planting too deep; when the earth settles about the tree it should stand at the same height as when in the Nursery, When set in autumn it is well to raise a mound of earth about the trees a foot or more in height. This will keep them from being swayed by the winds or thrown out by the frost during the winter. It should be removed in the spring. In planting dwarf trees the stock on which they are budded, and no more, should be under ground. They will then stand firmly and will not lose their dwarf character by the rooting of the standard stock. Staking - If trees are tall or in exposed situations, they should be supported by stakes to prevent injury from the action of the wind. Staking is done in the best manner by driving two strong stakes firmly in the ground, one on each side of the tree about a foot distant from it, and fastening the tree between them with bands of straw or other soft material, so that it may be kept in an upright position without chafing until the roots obtain a firm hold upon the soil. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.