194 THE APPLE CULTURIST. 



CHAPTER VII. 



THE FAILURE OP ORCHARDS, AND THE PRACTICABLE 

 REMEDY. 



The price of our apples, of peaches, and cherries, 



The price of fine currants, of pears, plums, and berries, 



Is measured by combats with foes in a tilt, 



With war to the knife, and the knife to the hilt. EDWARDS. 



THE failure of apple-orchards is a theme of common con- 

 versation in all localities where apples are cultivated. In 

 the majority of instances, pomologists assume that apple- 

 trees and pear-trees fail to produce such crops of fruit as 

 were once raised in certain localities, because the varieties 

 are running out. They feel confident that they have 

 guessed correctly on this point. But the assumption is a 

 great delusion ; and we can convince any intelligent pomol- 

 ogist that the conclusion is erroneous. If the same quality 

 of soil can be secured, and the same surroundings as to 

 protection by forests, and if the cions from the topmost 

 boughs of old trees that have once borne bountiful crops 

 of fine fruit, but have now failed, could be set in young 

 stocks as hardy as the stocks were which were employed 

 sixty or eighty years ago, we should see trees loaded with 

 just as fine fruit as the old trees ever produced. The truth 

 is, there is a limit to the productiveness of all kinds of fruit' 

 trees. Old animals cease to bear. And why should not 

 trees grow old and barren? Forest-trees reach a limit in 

 their growth, and decay. And can it be expected that ap- 

 ple-trees will continue to bear after they have passed the 

 maximum limit of life ? Durham cattle die ; but the breed 



