STATIC FAIi; FnilT EXIIIIUTS. 203 



view of cutting it down lower when the lower growth is sufficient to 

 make the entire head, but always bear this part in mind when pruning — 

 a thorough job of spraying is next to impossible in a tall tree. Besides 

 you will want to be up-to-date and thin your apples and raise great big 

 ones to show your neighbor what you can do after he has been laughing 

 at your efforts all summer long. 



It may be that the old orchard needs a tonic in the way of some 

 manure or commercial fertilizers. However, the chance is that all it 

 needs iS; a good plowing, not too deep, and after cultivating awhile sown 

 to some cover crop, such as cow peas or vetch. If the ground is too roll- 

 ing, rye may be sown to keep it from washing through the winter. Your 

 old trees may be so low in vitality that they will not bear the first sea- 

 son; if not, they will undoubtedly set the fruit buds for the next season. 



It is advisable in some cases to cut off all the large limbs and start 

 a new growth, either from a few little sprouis or from those that will 

 spring up from the body the first season. Care also should be taken to 

 scrape off all the old bark, I am sure, for here and in the dead spots 

 are the spores and eggs for infection the following season. Of course 

 the majority of them are subdued by the spray, but enough escape at the 

 best. I think here is where we got our supply of curculio, under this 

 old bark. 



If there is a blotch in these old trees, all of the infected tv/igs 

 should be cut out, then there will have to be a treatment of Bordeaux 

 applied to control it, as the lime-sulphur will not be effective. Directions 

 for this will be gladly furnished by your experiment station. 



The idea of putting new life into the old orchard is not altogether a 

 new one, but it is one which has received but very little attention be- 

 cause the fruit tide has not been as high for years as it now is. There- 

 fore, in their eagerness to get fruit in the shortest possible length of 

 time, this idea is to become very popular in the near future, no matter 

 what your neighbor says about it. 



This is comparatively a new field of work, and I have covered it as 

 fully as I can under the present circumstances, as there is to be a lot of 

 learning along this line yet, and the coming season I hope to be able to 

 give out some more data on the subject. Meanwhile do some experi- 

 menting on your own orchard, and give us the results of your experience. 

 — Omer R. Abraham, in the Fruit Grower. 



THE STATE FAIR FRUIT EXHIBITS. 



In- quantity the 1912 fruit show at the Nebraska State Fair by the State 

 Horticultural Society was the largest ever staged. The south half of the 

 state is maturing one of the biggest crops on record, and there is a 

 sprinkling of fruit over all of the north half. The quality was good, but 

 owing to the tardiness of the late varieties in putting on color the show 

 lacked somewhat in that respect as compared with last season, when the 

 fruit colored very early. 



