state pomological society. 39 



Wednesday Aeternoon. 



RENOVATION OF OLD ORCHARDS. 



Mr. George C. Drew, Greenwich, Conn. 



Until a comparatively few years ago the neglected apple or- 

 chard was a part and parcel of most New England farms, and 

 I doubt if Maine was an exception to this rule. I said until a 

 comparatively few years ago, because lately there has been such 

 a systematic revival of interest in orcharding in general that it 

 has called attention to these orchards formerly profitable but 

 now neglected and going to decay. Unfortunately there are 

 still many whom this revival has not converted, many who still 

 believe these old neglected trees have served their day and their 

 usefulness is past. I have been asked to speak on how these 

 abandoned orchards may be reclaimed, how they may be once 

 more put on a profitable business basis. 



About seven years ago, as manager of an estate, I had charge 

 of consolidating a large tract of land, buying up farm after 

 farm as opportunity ofifered. These were all typical run-down 

 New England farms, — each one of which had at least one or- 

 chard in various stages of neglect. In some cases canker was 

 abundant, while in others San Jose scale had nearly ruined the 

 trees ; in all cases, such things as pruning, spraying, cultivation, 

 and fertilization, had either never been practiced, or had been 

 neglected for years. Some of the orchards, while compara- 

 tively young, had been so stunted as to be nearly ruined, while 

 others were the old veterans of fifty or more years, with high 

 tops beyond the reach of sprays or ordinary ladders. Such 

 were our problems, — the problems, I am led to believe, of at 

 least some of you. I must confess that at first I was some- 

 what sceptical as to results and in one case had even started 

 to cut down the trees as too hopeless to even think of renovat- 

 ing. Fortunately I had the means and time available to work 

 out the problem and now I would never cut down an old or- 

 chard unless it was in an extremely hopeless state. 



