VII 

 RENOVATION 



The problem which the beginner in fruit growing 

 has to face is not always that of planting a young 

 orchard. Indeed, when one is seeking out a piece 

 of land with a view to embarking upon the fascinat- 

 ing field of pomology, he nearly always prefers to 

 select a farm which already has some apple trees 

 on it. Nine times out of ten these are old trees 

 and in a certain stage of neglect and disrepair. The 

 renovation of these old orchards is a rather common 

 practice and probably always will be. It is interest- 

 ing and in some cases profitable. 



IS IT WORTH WHILE? 



The question whether it is to be profitable or not 

 can be answered with some reasonable certainty in 

 advance. The answer will depend upon the condi- 

 tion of the trees and upon the methods adopted for 

 their recovery. As regards the condition of the 

 trees, there are four things to be noticed in particu- 

 lar. These are: (i) the age and kind of the trees, 

 (2) the stand, (3) varieties, (4) scale, canker and 

 other diseases. 



If the trees are very old and decrepit, there is, 

 of course, no use in trying to rejuvenate them. As 

 a rule, trees more than 50 years old are likely to be 

 beyond profitable recovery, though this age limit 

 varies widely. If the trees have several sound 

 limbs and are making 2 or 3 inches growth each 



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