ORCHARDS. 135 



year, is far from being judicious ; by tins method there is not 

 sufficient strength in the top to draw the sap from the roots for 

 the growth and nourishment of the young grafts. Hence the 

 first year, by this process, the grafts barely live ; the second 

 year they make only slow progress, and by this time the whole 

 tree begins to decline, and in a few years is nearly useless. In 

 1851 I had five or six trees fast going to decay ; so much so 

 that it was doubtful in my mind, as well as in the mind 

 of others, whether they were worth ingrafting. I however 

 commenced the work in May, 1851, in '52 and '53. I cut 

 away the old limbs sparingly, except those that were dead or 

 nearly so ; very little was done by way of cutting off either old 

 limbs, or thinning out grafts, till 1858 and '59, when in June, 

 '59, the trees were wholly bereft of their old limbs, and as 

 many of the new ones as necessary ; the tops are now in a 

 healthy condition. These trees have grown two very good 

 growths of fruit of good quality, one in 1856, the other in 1858, 

 and give promise of future usefulness. 



Statement of W. G. Wyman. 



Reclaimed Apple Orchard. — The reclaimed apple orchard 

 which I offer for a premium, consists of one hundred and 

 seventy-five trees of various ages, from twenty to eighty years, 

 or more, all of nature's own planting, scattered over my fields, 

 and pastures, mostly the latter. 



A very few of the trees in the field were grafted when they 

 came into. my possession in the spring of 1853, but most of 

 them, and all in the pastures produced only almost worthless 

 varieties of fruit. Thelrees had no appearance of having ever 

 been trimmed or pruned except by the cattle ; were very crooked 

 and scrubby, and densely filled with sprouts, thorns and dead 

 limbs. 



I commenced grafting a few trees in the fields in 1853 and 

 1854, and in 1855 took hold of the main orchard in earnest, 

 selecting the best trees out of over three hundred, the others 

 furnished good fire wood, and grafting about one-third of the 

 tree, usually at a time, commencing with the top, and so con- 

 tinued for three successive years. The suckers have been care- 



