250 AMERICAN POMOLOGY. 



practising this constant culture of the soil. In collections 

 of dwarf fruit trees, he will have less difficulty on this 

 score, because he will be restricted to hand-labor ; but the 

 spade and fork will be found much more expensive in their 

 use than the plow and cultivator. 



PLOWING UP OLD ORCHARDS. A question frequently 

 arises as to the best course to be pursued with an old neg- 

 lected orchard, which has become covered with a dense 

 sod of grass, and this often of an inferior character, arid 

 full of disagreeable weeds. Orchards that have been widely 

 planted, and which have gaps from the decay of trees, 

 especially when these have been trimmed up with high 

 stems and long naked branches, do not cast sufficient 

 shade upon the ground to prevent the growth of grass and 

 weeds. These intruders occupy the surface soil to the dis- 

 advantage of the roots of the fruit trees, and we may won- 

 derfully improve the health of such orchard by plowing 

 the ground, and at the same time severely pruning the 

 branches and cleansing the bark of these old trees. These 

 good results may be continued by shallow culture of the 

 soil, with suitable applications of manure where needed. 

 By giving a dose of lime, or of marl, and ashes, we shall 

 infuse a new life and growth and productiveness that will 

 astonish and delight us, and reward us for our labors and 

 outlay. 



It may be urged as an objection to breaking up the sod, 

 that the most careful plowman will unavoidably damage 

 some of the roots that approach the surface, but this is an 

 injury that must be submitted to ; and after all it is not 

 such a serious affair, and is overbalanced by the advantages 

 of renewing the productiveness of the exhausted orchard. 



