74 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



little, and seldom pick off apples, confining themselves to what 

 they can get upon the ground. The windfalls in almost every 

 case contain at least one apple worm, so that we consider.it an 

 actu il benefit to let them eat as many as they please, if it is a 

 hundred bushels ; we are glad to get rid of them, and it is much 

 cheaper than to pick them up. 



I have in my mind another treatment of an old orchard which 

 I saw in New Gloucester. The soil was very similar to this — 

 good orchard land. The owner had recently put in a team strong 

 enough to carry the plow right through at considerable depth, and 

 I never before saw so many roots sticking out. It was harsh 

 treatment. I did not see it again for five or six years ; but when 

 I did, more than half the trees were dead and gone. It will not 

 answer to plow an old orchard and break off the roots in any 

 considerable quantity ; they need their roots. The better mode is 

 to improve the land by top dressing. 



Mr. Peirce. If he had cut off half the tops, would he not have 

 saved them ? 



Mr. Perley. Tie did prune severely. Perhaps the trees were 

 too old — too far gone ; there is a point beyond which it is im- 

 possible to revive an old orchard. The one I spoke of on my own 

 farm was not more than sixty years old. 



In regard to grafting, I prefer to take good thrifty seedlings 

 from the nursery ; plant them in the orchard, and when they are 

 large enough, graft into the limbs from one inch to an inch and a 

 half in diameter. There are some varieties that will not, in this 

 climate, make good trees by being budded in the nursery ; one 

 such i^ (he Baldwin, our most important apple. It is of no man- 

 ner of use to purchase Baldwin trees budded in the nursery. They 

 will not do anything. 1 have budded them in the nursery 1113'self, 

 and I have seen them purchased from good nurseries, grown by 

 faithful, honorable men. It was not the fault of the nurseryman ; 

 the fault is in the tree itself. It must be grown, if grown at all 

 in Maine, by planting strong, hardy seedlings in the orchard, and 

 grafting in the limbs, when of suitable size. 



A word here in regard to the position of. grafts. We often see 

 trees grafted where those who do it seem to be afraid to cut the 

 best limbs; they graft into little stunted limbs and leave the best 

 ones upon the tree. What is the result ? The grafts never grow 

 well and there they stand year after year. The proper way i< to 

 graft into the best limbs, and those in the best position to make a 



