29 



BULLETIN OF 



Massachusetts Board of Agriculture. 



RENOVATING OLD ORCHARDS. 



By Prof. F. C. Sears, Professor of Pomology, Massachusetts Agricultural College. 



There are undoubtedly thousands of old apple trees in ]\Iassachu- 

 setts, some in orchards and others scattered about fields, which would 

 pay good returns if they could be thoroughly "renovated" and there- 

 after be given proper treatment. On the other hand, there are just 

 as many, and probably far more, which would be more profitable on 

 the woodpile than anj^where else. The first question, then, for one 

 to decide, if he owns such trees or orchards, is "Will it pay to make 

 the attempt to get them into a thrifty condition again ? " In the 

 writer's opinion this depends on four questions: 1, the age and vigor 

 of the trees; 2, the stand of trees in the orchard; 3, the varieties; 

 and 4, whether the San Jose scale is in the orchard or the immediate 

 vicinity of it. To discuss each of these briefly : — • 



1. The Age and Vigor of the Trees. — If the trees are vigorous, with 

 good trunks and main branches, unaffected with canker or other injuries 

 to the bark, it has been my experience that they can be brought into 

 a profitable condition even though the tops are full of dead branches 

 and they have been systematically neglected for years. This, of course, 

 is supposing that the other factors mentioned above are favorable. It 

 is truly surprising what can be done with an old orchard when it is 

 taken in hand and given modern, up-to-date treatment. On the other 

 hand, if the trunks or main branches are damaged with canker, or 

 have been injured with cold so that the bark has fallen away in patches 

 of any size, as very often happens, then it is very doubtful if the 

 orchard would ])ay for renovating. It must be remembered that the 

 trunk is the highway by which the results of our improved care are 

 transported back and forth from the roots to the top, and if this high- 

 way is in a demoralized condition we are not going to get the best 

 results. 



2. The Stand of Trees. — This, of course, is supposing that the trees 

 to be treated are in an orchard, and it will be easily seen that if half 



