EENOYATING OLD ORCHAEDS.' 



F. C. SEARS, PROFESSOR OF POMOLOGY, MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURAL 



COLLEGE. 



There are undoubtedly thousands of old apple trees in 

 Massachusetts, some in orchards and others scattered about 

 fields, which would pay good returns if they could be thor- 

 oughly " renovated " and thereafter be given proper treat- 

 ment. On the other hand, there are just as many, and prob- 

 ably far more, which would be more profitable on the 

 woodpile than an\^where else. The first question, then, for one 

 to decide, if he owns such trees or orchards, is " Will it pay 

 to make the attempt to get them into a thrifty condition 

 again ? " In the writer's opinion this depends on four ques- 

 tions: 1st, the age and vigor of the trees; 2d, the stand of 

 trees in the orchard ; 3d, the varieties ; and 4th, whether the 

 San Jose scale is in the orchard or the immediate vicinity 

 of it. To discuss each of these briefly : — 



1. The Age and Vigor of the Trees. — If the trees are 

 vigorous, with good trunks and main branches, unaffected 

 with canker or other injuries to the bark, it has been my ex- 

 perience that they can be brought into a profitable condition 

 even though the tops are full of dead branches and they have 

 been systematically neglected for years. This, of course, is 

 supposing that the other factors mentioned above are favor- 

 able. It is truly surprising what can be done with an old 

 orchard when it is taken in hand and given modern, up-to- 

 date treatment. On the other hand, if the trunks or main 

 branches are damaged with canker, or have been injured 

 with cold so that the bark has fallen away in patches of any 

 size, as very often happens, or if the trunk and main 

 branches are badly rotted out in the center, then it is very 



' Agriculture of Massachusetts, 1908. 



