CHAPTER VI. 



RENOVATING AN APPLE ORCHARD IN WESTERN NEW YORK. 

 BY CHRISTIAN BUES. 



With the increase of our knowledge of the " how " of apple-production 

 comes naturally a greater interest in the apple business. Out of a few 

 apple-trees around the house has grown the commercial orchard. The 

 manager of a large orchard enters the open market. He learns the value 

 of business methods. He looks for opportunities in the business of apple- 

 production. To plant young trees and nurse them into bearing age is a 

 long-term investment. It should be profitable ultimately. But how shall 

 he find an outlet for his energies while his trees are growing; how 

 shall he improve his trade; in short, where is the immediate opportunity 

 for business? 



There are thousands of acres of apple orchards of bearing age in 

 W r estern New York which are not giving the revenue that they ought to 

 give. Many of these can be bought at a reasonable price. If the trees 

 are in a fairly good state of health the renovation of such orchards may 

 be profitable. We have heard a great deal during the last few years about 

 this feature of fruit-raising. What are the actual facts? A concrete 

 example will illustrate better than any amount of theory. 



In 1896 Mr. George Pettit bought a " run down " farm at Kenyon- 

 ville, Orleans county, N. Y. The farm was neglected. Therefore the 

 price paid was not high. Fifty-four acres were bought for $2,200. On 

 the farm was an apple orchard of eleven acres, two acres of which had 

 been drowned out, literally killed by standing water, when an outlet could 

 be found not more than fifty yards away into the steep gorge of Oak 

 Orchard creek. This left nine acres of orchard with which to work. 

 The trees had been planted in the spring of 1864, i. e. they were thirty-two 

 years old and should have been just entering into their prime of 

 production. 



The soil on which this orchard stands is Miami silt loam. (See page 

 317.) On the remaining nine acres the drainage was not perfect. 

 Because of lack of care the trees were older than their actual age would 

 indicate. Pruning and feeding had been sadly neglected, and canker was 

 rapidly unfitting many limbs for the bearing of a crop. Mr. Pettit tells 

 me that it was in about as bad a state as regards care as it could 

 possibly be. 



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