188 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



point, and the replies are in nearly all cases substantially the same, 

 or very similar. One says, " Remove decayed wood, and suckers, 

 except such as are wanted to form a new top. Shoal plowing, with 

 moderate dressings, annually or biennially, of compost made of 

 two parts muck and one part barn manure. Ashes, lime and 

 superphosphate are often used to great advantage. Pasturing 

 the orchard with sheep has been of signal benefit in my experi- 

 ence." 



iknother says, " Plow shoal, trim the dead limbs off, shorten in 

 the live ones, scrape and wash with soap suds or some other alka- 

 line wash, dig around the trees three or four times a year, and be 

 sure to apply some good compost manure, and one calculated to 

 be an amendment to the soil. Old trees bearing poor fruit, yet 

 with sound trunks, may be grafted as soon as you get new shoots 

 of proper size. To renovate neglected orchards requires good at- 

 tention and skilful cultivation, in order to be a profitable operation. 

 The ground ought to be cultivated and manured but not cropped 

 with anything but apples." 



A third says, " Prune, cultivate, mulch and manui*e." 

 A fourth gives judicious directions rather more in detail : 

 "In regard to the question of the best mode for reviving old 

 decaying orchards, from what little experience I have had, would 

 recommend shoal plowing, with care not to bark the roots nor bruise 

 the bodies of the trees, and with a hoe remove the sward from the 

 body of the tree. Then harrow and level off the furrows as well 

 as may be, ancl then mulch the ground all over a few inches thick 

 with wet strawy manure, swamp muck, or with partially rotted 

 forest leaves. The last named is rather to be preferred as it ob- 

 structs the grass from growing more than the others and keeps the 

 ground moister — a very important consideration — by reason of the 

 leaves lying closer to it. Remove all the dead limbs from the tree 

 and crop off some of the outer branches or extremities of the live 

 limbs. Sow no grass nor any other small seeds on the ground, 

 nor suffer any live animal to run in the orchard, and by this means, 

 if the trees have not suffered by having their large limbs cut off at 

 the body, thus producting decay of the tree, they will soon show 

 a vigor of growth and yield of fruit that will richly repay the hus- 

 bandman for all his labor and care. 



" I find no difficulty in raising pears any more than in raising 

 apples, but I find a pear or an apple tree will no better flourish in 



