SECRETARY'S REPORT. 189 



a state of utter neglect than a hill of coni, except that the tree is 

 somewhat more hardy in its nature than a stalk of corn ; and I 

 would as soon plant corn in an old, worn-out mowing field, as to 

 set it out to an orchard, and leave it without any other attention 

 except to see it die." 



The replies received which differ materially from the above are 

 as follows : 



One says, " To renovate a decayed orchard, I would cut out all 

 decayed wood, fence it well, then turn in as many hogs as could 

 well live in it. If kept short through the summer they will work 

 over the surface pretty throughly. Top dress occasionally with 

 chip manure, &c. Orchards plowed and cropped every season are 

 likely to decay." (Is this so, unless an unripe growth of wood is 

 caused by over manuring ?) 



Another says, " Scrape off moss and decayed bark. Manure as 

 much as possible with animal manure, fish, flesh and bone dust, 

 either put under the sod, disturbing the roots as little as possible, 

 or covered with muck if more convenient." 



Fish and flesh are doubtless good applications for old orchards, 

 to a moderate extent. 



A fourth writes as follows : " When I first read over your circu- 

 lar, I thought my experience in fruit culture, or rather orcharding, 

 was so limited that I had nothing worthy to offer, but on a reperu- 

 sal the other evening it occurred that I might give my experience 

 as a suggestion on the renovation of old orchards. The method 

 was accidental rather than theoretical, in the beginning, but it works 

 80 well that now I practice it myself and recommend it to others. 



" When the limbs of a tree begin to decay seriously, I let it 

 alone entirely, and it soon throws out shoots along the base of the 

 limbs. These I let grow from three to five years, when I prune, 

 selecting such as are the thriftiest and will make the best top to 

 remain, and cut out the rest, together with the dead wood. In a 

 few years you have a young thrifty top, bearing as well as ever, 

 and the fruit is improved in size as compared with the old tree. I 

 have a pear ti-ee, a very fine seedling, that has renewed itself in 

 this way the segond time and the twigs are now bending under 

 their load." 



A fifth writes — " AVhere trees show strong symptoms of consti- 

 tutional disease and decay, cut them down and cultivate the ground 

 thoroughly for at least two years and transplant young trees. 



