FARMERS' INSTITUTES. 115 



portion above soon dies. In many orchards where the branches are dying a 

 careful examination will show that the trouble is due to this disease. 



The failure with our apple orchards has sometimes been ascribed to 

 changes in the climate, but these changes have been comparatively 

 slight. It is true, however, that the injury is to some extent due to the 

 changes that have taken place in the conditions, other than those of 

 climate, under whjch the trees are growing, as compared with those under 

 which the trees first planted in Michigan existed. In the early days the 

 virgin soil was full of humus which held the water like a sponge, but it 

 is now exhausted and the trees suffer from drought, the trunks and 

 branches become sun-scalded and fungi attack the leaves. The forests 

 having been cut away, the winds have a full sweep, and during the winter 

 the snow that falls is blown away, leaving the ground bare in the 

 orchards. In their weakened condition, the trees may be seriously 

 injured or even killed by a severe winter. As the result of all these 

 unfavorable circumstances, and the consequent small and inferior crops, 

 many owners of orchards have come to the conclusion that the trees are 

 not worth the ground they occupy and have cut them down. This step 

 is in exact accord with the advice given by Geo. T, Powell at the Pontiac 

 Round-up in 1898, where he stated, in speaking on ''The Planting of 

 Apple Orchards," that "the first thing to do is to uproot and destroy all 

 of the old apple orchards." While this is excellent advice in many cases, 

 in the opinion of the writer, manj' and perhaps a majority of the orchards 

 in southern Michigan, even though they cannot be rejuvenated, will at 

 least well repay the trouble and expense of their renovation, or the 

 attempt to bring them into the best possible condition for fruit bearing. 



The destruction of the old orchards has been most common in the 

 more southern tiers of counties, and as we go north, where the country 

 was settled later, the orchards being younger are giving better returns. 

 In most of the southern counties the area that has been planted to apple 

 orchards during the last tAventy years has been small, being but a fraction 

 of what has been cut down. In the more northern counties the planting 

 has been much larger and, as most of the first-planted orchards are in 

 good condition, few have fallen before the ax, and the acreage has made 

 a considerable increase. 



That the acreage in apple orchards in southern Michigan has decreased 

 during the past twenty years is shown by the following figures, obtained 

 by the supervisors and reported to the Secretary of State. Most of us 

 were aware that the acreage had decreased but, for myself, I must 

 express surprise at the extent. 



