.->> W. VA. AGR. EXPERIMENT STATION [Bulletin 141 



vore so badly devitalized by neglect and starvation that they were 

 on the actual verge of destruction. That some of the weakest of 

 them failed to return a profit on the first year's operations is not to 

 be wondered at, but let it be noted that by the second season in every 

 c'M.sv. a crop had lx en secured that more than paid all expenses. 



No data is available whereby the average net income per tree for 

 the entire state may be estimated, but it would seem that thirty cents 

 would be a fair figure. The trees in the six rejunevated orchards 

 have been raised immediately from no income at all to over three 

 times the average for the state. Even in the least productive of the 

 six the gross income is about l 1 /^ times the state's average and in the 

 best yielding orchard it is nearly six times as large. 



Approximately one half the apple trees in West Virginia are in 

 need of rejuvenation in one form or another. Any farmer of 

 average intelligence can by following out the general directions 

 given in the first half of the bulletin, place his orchard on a paying 

 basis. The initial expense is slight and the profits are reasonably 

 certain and prompt. 



If rejuvenation could be started at once in every neglected orch- 

 ard in the state that is not already beyond repair, the crop would 

 be doubled in two years and from two and one-half to three and one- 

 half million dollars would be added to the annual income of the 

 farmers of the state. 



