PESTS IN THE OLD ORCHARD 



215 



The Question of Varieties. The third point on which the 

 fate of the orchard hinges is the question of what varieties it 

 contains. Our old family orchard with one tree each of forty 

 different varieties is far less likely to prove profitable than a 

 good block of Baldwins. And, on the other hand, an orchard 

 of Ben Davis, or some such variety where the consumer will need 

 to "take a glass of water" with his apple in order to get it 

 down, would certainly appeal to any practical orchardist less, 

 even though it were all of one variety, than an orchard made up 



FIG. 94. A poor type of orchard for renovating. The trees are so tall and there are 

 so few small branches low down that it will take several years before it can be brought 

 into anything like a profitable condition. 



of several varieties but all of them good. So the variety ques- 

 tion is important. Of course, even large trees can be grafted 

 over, but that is a long and rather expensive operation, for 

 "grafting" is costly in other places than New York City. 



Pests in the Old Orchard. A last question which is worthy 

 of some consideration, though it is not nearly so important as 

 those already mentioned, is the matter of what pests are in the 

 orchard. San Jose scale, for example, complicates the situation 

 and adds very decidedly to the cost of bringing the trees back to 

 health. So do cankers. The orchardist would seldom, perhaps 



