ORCHARDS AXD FRUIT CULTURE. 79 



raise other things better. Not every man has a farm adapted to 

 fruit, but let those of us who have fruit farms see to it that those 

 natural apple lands do not lie barren any longer. 



Mr. Pabbis. What has been your experience in grafting old 

 orchards ? 



Mr. Pebley. If they are not too old, nor on too poor ground 

 they may be grafted, and sufficient fruit taken off in live years to 

 pay for grafting and all other expense you need to put upon 

 them. If they die within six or seven years you have got your 

 pay. In some instances I have known old orchards to be grafted 

 and bear for many years. If the orchard is very old and badly 

 run down, success is more doubtful. 1 have grafted some trees 

 that have never paid me ; I have grafted others- that have paid a 

 hundred fold and more. 



Mb. Pabbis. Would you cut off the flead limbs and suckers 

 and unnecessary limbs? 



Mr. Perley. If I had an old orchard, I should begin by enrich- 

 ing the roots, then cut out all the bad and too big limbs and 

 graft the best ones. You must cut severely ; it will be a tremen- 

 dous shock to the tree, but only by such an heroic method can 

 you renovate it. You must throw vigor into it. A stunted tree 

 almost always has not roots underneath in proportion to the top. 



Mr. Parris. Do you practice mulching? 



Mr. Perley. I have tried mulching, but it has not proved so 

 satisfactory with me as has been represented by some. Spread- 

 ing compost upon the surface has, in every instance within my 

 observation, done better. I call to mind a young orchard near 

 where I live, planted upon a rocky side-hill, so rocky that I hardly 

 know how the man will get his apples. He planted in the grass 

 of the pasture, dug holes, not very large, because he could not, 

 and washed every sprig with soft soap, as far up as he could 

 reach. I do not know a more promising young orchard than that. 



Mr. Percival. What would you advise about planting young 

 orchards where old ones have gone to decay ? 



Mr. Perley. I never would do it. The ground is already 

 exhausted of the food peculiarly adapted to apple trees. I did it 

 once and know about it. I would as soon throw a tree away ; it 

 is labor lost. 



Mr. Thing. You say you would never set a new tree in the 

 place of an old one, because the ground is already exhausted. 



