124 



PRUNING OLD TREES. 



" The experiment was performed upon three trees stand- 

 ing in my grounds, none of which were less than thirty years 

 old. One of these trees, an old-fashioned [Nevvtown] Pippin, 

 and a great favorite, had borne moderately; the other two 

 made out between them, to " get up" about a dozen apples 

 a year, just to let me know, I presume, that they " could 

 do it," but were perfectly indifferent how it was done. 



" I, last summer, undertook the renovation of these trees. 

 For this purpose, I opened between them trenches, say ten 

 feet in length, two feet in depth, and about eight feet equi- 

 distant from tree to tree. The roots which were encoun- 

 tered in this operation, were, of course, all cut off, the 

 trenches filled with ivell rotted manure, and closed. I 

 finished by giving each of the trees about a peck of char- 

 coal mixed with the same quantity of ashes, and now for 

 the result. I have this year gathered from the " two out- 

 casts" just mentioned, instead of my annual dividend of a 

 dozen apples, from six to eight bushels a piece of as hand- 

 some fruit as you ever saw, with about the same propor- 

 tion from the third, which has always been a moderate 

 bearer." 



Pruning. The mode of treating large trees, has been 



already adverted to 

 in the chapter on 

 pruning. There are 

 some owners of or- 

 chards who most er- 

 roneously suppose 

 that when trees be- 

 come old, heavy pru- 

 ning will restore 

 their vigor in the ab- 

 sence of good culti- 

 vation ; while the 

 correct mode of treat- 

 merit, is, very mode- 

 rn 102. rate . an ? gradual 

 pruning in connex- 

 ion with the best of cultivation. The foregoing correct por- 

 traits of actually existing specimens of bad pruning, unhappily 

 have too many originals over the country ; fig. 102. This 



