A perennial bestseller, this illustrated guide covers selecting land, choosing species, planting, harvesting, and managing a plantation. Wray provides guidance for choosing species suitable for the grower's situation, where and how to get planting stock, and how to care for it. The planting process is described in detail, including both hand and machine methods. The book presents useful techniques for protecting the growing trees from weeds, animals, fire, insects, and disease, and offers a full description of shearing or shaping trees to improve their form and densityùkeys to a successful crop.
As the grower's job is not done until the trees are sold, issues of grading, harvesting, advertising, and marketing are examined. A chapter on finances deals with costs, profits, and taxes. From novice to experienced grower, there is something in this book for everyone.
1. A Growing Business
2. Selecting Land
3. Species to Grow
4. Where to Get Trees
5. Choosing the Planting Stock
6. Preparing the Ground
7. When to Plant Trees
8. Care and Handling of Planting Stock
9. Planning and Managing the Plantation
10. Spacing of Trees
11. The Planting Job
12. Keeping Plantations Clean
13. Shearing
14. Protecting the Plantation
15. Grading Christmas Trees
16. Harvesting
17. Going to Market
18. Other Products of the Plantation
19. Profits--and Taxes
20. A Parting Word
Suggested Literature
Index