MISCELLANEOUS PAPERS. 359 



cultivatiou. Swiue can sometimes be utilized as plows in such orchards. 

 With a crowbar make holes three or four inches deep all through the 

 orchard, and drop a handful of corn or buckwheat in each hole. Let 

 the hog root for it. 



Keiiovatiiia: Old Orchards, 



'*5 



Nearly all the orchards in the State are in sod, and are in anything- 

 but a flourishing condition. They have for the most part been allowed 

 to shift for themselves, and as a result have become " hide-bound," and 

 make but little growth, and produce still less fruit. 



We are often asked to recommend a course of treatment for such 

 orchards, but the conditions vary to such an extent that what might be 

 desirable for one orchard might not be required in another. In a gen- 

 eral way, supposing the conditions to be stated, we would make the 

 following recommendations : 



1. Cut down all trees that have gone so far beyond their prime 

 that they have badly decayed trunks and only one or two broken 

 branches. 



2. From trees that have healthy trunks and promise to in a meas- 

 ure renew their youth if given proper care, remove all dead or dying 

 branches, thin out surplus shoots where absolutely necessary, and at- 

 tempt to bring the trees into good form. If they are badly misshapen, 

 it may be well to cut the stronger branches back severely in order to 

 force the others into growth. If a tree of some worthless variety is 

 fairly healthy and vigorous it may pay to topgraft it with some desir- 

 able sort. The branches should be cut back so that they will be about 

 one and one-half inches in diameter and two scions inserted in each 

 stub. As a rule, it is best to extend the operation over two or three 

 years, and lessen the check to the tree. 



3. If the land has not been manured, as will generally be the case, 

 it should receive an application of twenty to thirty loads of decom- 

 posed stable manure. The land, if in sod, should then be plowed, tak- 

 ing care to injure the roots no more than is necessary. For at least 

 two years the land should be cultivated, either with or without hoed 

 crops. Fifty to one hundred bushels of wood ashes per acre can gen- 

 erally be used to advantage. 



4. If the trunks of the trees are covered with a thick layer of 

 dead bark it will be well to remove it, taking care not to scrape into 

 the living bark beneath. The trunks should then be washed with soft 



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