RENOVATING NEGLECTED ORCHARDS 395 



The severity of cutting back will also depend upon the presence 

 of scale. The work of spraying is greatly simplified, and the 

 chances for success in controlling the scale are greatly enhanced, 

 by extreme methods of pruning. 



After the trees have been sufficiently headed in, all dead and dis- 

 eased branches should be removed, and also such other branches as 

 are necessary to produce a condition favorable to the free circulation 

 of air and the admission of sunlight. While it is possible (especially 

 with the best of neglected orchards) to overdo the pruning process, 

 the average man is more likely to err in the other direction. 



What to do with wounds. As a rule all the cuts made by 

 pruning should be smooth and as close to the tree as practicable. 

 The small wounds heal over very quickly and therefore do not 

 need any attention. Large wounds of about one inch or more in 

 diameter need some protective substance applied to them. After the 

 larger wounds have dried it is a good practice to cover them with a 

 coat of paint in order to exclude wood-decaying fungi. A combina- 

 tion of white lead and linseed oil is a good one for this purpose. 

 If the white is objectionable, lampblack or other coloring matter 

 may be mixed with the white lead and oil to make the spots less 

 conspicuous. On very large cuts annual painting may be necessary. 



Scraping. Where the San Jose scale is common or where the 

 trees are barkbound, scraping is to be recommended. This means 

 removing the loose bark scales from the tree ; it does not mean 

 skinning the tree. An old hoe or a three-cornered scraper may 

 be used. A rainy or moist day is best for the operation, for the 

 loose bark is then removed more easily. Begin at the highest point 

 to be scraped and work down. Do not dig in. Collect the scrapings 

 and destroy them, as they may contain insects or diseases. 



Cavity work. Where decayed spots are found in the tree it 

 may be best to dig out the decayed wood with a chisel or gouge. 

 The live wood should then be treated with a weak, copper-sulphate 

 solution, and a mixture of cement and sand filled into the hole. 

 The cement mixture may be retained by driving nails inside the 

 cavity, or by using wire screening or pieces of steel lathing fastened 

 inside the cavity. The surface of the cement mixture should be 

 smooth and rounded, being lower near the edges to permit the 

 bark to grow over it. 



