256 TRANSACTIONS OF THE 



OLD ORCHARDS — CAN THEY BE RENOVATED ? 



The following letter of C. S. Green, of Ralston, Penn., I will read la 

 full, and hope that some of his questions can be satisfactorily answered, 

 since a great many others are equally interested. As it is dated " Sth 

 mo., 27th, '59," I suppose it is from one of the Society of Friends. 



" Not having seen anything in the discussions of the Farmers' Club that 

 exactly hits the complaint, I wish to ask you what to do in order to reno- 

 vate an old apple orchard. We have an orchard containing forty large 

 trees, now about thirty years old. The fruit is mostly seedling, and worth- 

 less. We this spring had them trimmed of dead limbs and suckers, and 

 500 grafts set in the tops of the thriftiest, and are now in doubt whether 

 to have the ground plowed and manured, or to put the manure (stable 

 manure and ashes) around the trees on the sod. It has not been plowed 

 for many years. The trees are much covered with moss, and since the 

 trimming have again put out suckers. Do these injure the growth of fruit ? 

 What shall we do with the trunks and limbs that have moss on them? The 

 trees still bear a little, but probably not one-tenth of what they would 

 produce if we could do just the right thing. I would remark that this is 

 a first rate climate and soil for apples, and young trees uniformly do well. 

 A little light on the subject will much oblige." 



Dr. Knight. — In the first place he must get rid of the old moss by 

 scraping, and also by burning what he scrapes off. He should also plow 

 the ground and then manure it, though it would do some good to put the 

 manure on the surface. 



Adrian Bergen thought cultivation and manuring would remedy the 

 diOiculty. 



The Chairman said that he would use lime, ashes and cold manure, dug 

 into the sod late in the fall, or after it had been dug and frozen. I am 

 told that the Germans remove the sod to let frost affect the roots. I use 

 strong caustic, whale oil soap and cow ordure, and sand as a wash to remove 

 all moss, &c., which is very important. 



Dr. Knight. — I think it important to break up the sod, and also to clean 

 the tree perfectly before manuring with anything. 



Mr. Bergen. — In young trees we may manure too much, but not in old 

 orchards. 



The Chairman. — I would not have young trees branch lower than six 

 feet of the ground. 



THE STRAWBERRY APPLE. 



A sample of the strawberry apple was presented, and spoken of as a 

 variety worth consideration. The fruit is of small size, and of a straw- 

 berry color in the flesh. 



WORMY PEARS AND QUINCES IS THERE ANY REMEDY ? 



Doctor E. H. Vanuxem, of Shrewsbury, N. J., has tried the sulphur 

 remedy — that is, boring a hole and filling it — in a pear tree that produces 

 Done but wormy pears, and has also thrown lime over the blossoms, all to 



