No. 4.] RKX()\'A'1IX(J OLD ORCHARDS. 409 



the trees are otherwise healthy, they will send out a bushy top, which, 

 with judicious thinning, will make practically a new tree out of the 

 old one. And one great reason why such old trees as we are now 

 considering (tall, overgrown ones) are not profitable is that they are 

 so tall that every operation — pruning, spraying, picking, etc. — is 

 four or five times as costly as with lower trees. So it is absolutely 

 essential to get them down nearer the ground if they are ever to be 

 made profitable. On the other hand, if the trees are reasonably low 

 the pruning may consist largely in thinning the top throughout, begin- 

 ning, of course, with the dead branches, and then taking enough live 

 ones to leave the head fairly open to light and air, and to the sprayer 

 when that comes on the scene. Even in this class of trees (those 

 which are not unreasonably tall), it is often possible to reduce their 

 height to advantage, without materially altering their form, by simply 

 cutting back each of the main, upright branches to one of its strong, 

 main of^'shoots. The effect may not be just what we would like at the 

 start, and the top may be somewhat thrown out of balance, but with a 

 year's growth it will largely recover its symmetry, and even if it should 

 not altogether the advantages of the lower top will offset any disad- 

 vantages. 



Another point in this pruning, and one often neglected, is not to 

 remove too large branches in the thinning. Of course it is much 

 easier to remove what one considers the rec{uired amount of wood by 

 taking out a few large branches-, but the results are much better if one 

 will take comj^aratively small branches (not above an inch and a half 

 in diameter) and take more of them. This thins the top uniformly, 

 letting in light, air and spraying materials to all parts equally; while 

 the removal of a few large branches leaves the top too open in some 

 places and as thick as ever in others. Still another point which one 

 should bear in mind in his pruning is to keep a sharp watch for dis- 

 eased branches, and take these out in preference to healthy ones. The 

 European and blight cankers are, in particular, liable to be found in 

 such an orchard, and may be largely held in check by such pruning. 

 And lastly, after the pruning has been done, and the wounds made 

 have had time to drj' up and "check" somewhat, all wounds of an 

 inch and a half or over should be thoroughly painted with thick lead 

 paint, to keep out moisture and prevent decay. White lead and boiled 

 linseed oil make the best kind of covering for such wounds, but it is 

 well to add a little brown color, merely to take off the glaring whiteness 

 of the painted wounds. One frequently sees the advice to take a paint 

 pot into the tree when pruning, and attend to the painting at once, 

 when the limb is removed, but in the writer's experience the pruning 

 tools are all that one wants to be bothered with at one time, and the 

 paint will certainly adhere better to the cut surface when this has 

 dried somewhat. 



Our thirdly is the spraying problem. This is going to vary some- 

 ■what, according to the insect and fungous diseases which may be 



