THE Fx\RMER'S ORCHARD 



145 



^Method of cutting 

 a large limb which 

 should be avoided. — 

 U. S. Dept. of Agricul- 

 ture. 



Second 



a large extent, several of the i'lingns diseases. The trees will 

 never retain their vigor or bear satisfactory fruit if there is an 

 excess of water in the soil, hence the ne- 

 cessity for good drainage. 



4. How badly are the trees diseased 

 and decayed! Here the owner must use 

 his o^^^l best judgment. If, after the dead 

 limbs are dug out, but little of the tree re- 

 mains, and that part diseased, it seldom 

 pays to try to reclaim it. If, on the other 

 hand, the dead wood is cut out, the suckers 

 and water sprouts removed, and the head 

 opened up so there is a free circulation of 

 air among the branches, and there is still 

 a well-formed, rounded head, not too high 

 from the ground, the tree is worth saving. 



Many of the diseases may be controlled 

 by spraying, as suggested in the spray 

 calendar. 



5. IIoAv old are the trees and 

 are thej^ vigorous? Usually an 

 apple tree after it is forty years 

 old, providing it has been neg- 

 lected for several years, is hardly 

 worth saving; cherries, after 

 twenty years; pears, twenty 

 years ; plums ten to fifteen years ; 

 and peaches ten to fifteen years. 



Frequently apple trees sixty 

 years old may become valuable if 

 they have a sound trunk, rounded 

 head exposing considerable leaf 

 surface and a good root system. 



6. How tall are the trees? If 

 the heads are so high that it re- 

 quires a double extension ladder 

 to reach the fruit the trees are 

 hopeless. Sometimes by prun- 

 ing out the top the head may be 

 brought down. 



7. Are the varieties desirable? 

 If not, the trees may be worked 

 over by cleft grafting. The cions. 



I Cut 



Final Cut 



Fig. 60. — Ecmovin: 



large branches. 

 Splitting down often occurs in 

 removing large branches. There 

 will be little chance for trouble 

 if the branches are cut away as 

 indicated in the drawing. — IFt.s- 

 consin Bulletin 2G9, 



