CHAPTER XIII 

 RENOVATION OF OLD ORCHARDS 



THROUGHOUT the country and particularly in the east- 

 ern and central western states are many thousands of 

 apple trees which at present have little or no commercial 

 significance. Many of these are in the old farm orchards, 

 the average of which includes at most but a few acres of 

 poorly kept and very often neglected apple trees. There 

 are, however, a great many orchards originally set out for 

 commercial purposes and later neglected. It is to this 

 latter acreage that the discussion on renovation will partic- 

 ularly apply. 



Greatest possibilities for renovation are offered in Ohio^ 

 Pennsylvania, and the northeastern states, also in many 

 sections of the Middle West. In southern states the old 

 neglected orchards are for the most part of such small 

 size and are so inaccessible as to offer slight inducement 

 for successful renovation. The problem of renovation re- 

 quires exceptionally careful study if one is contemplating 

 this method of entering the business of growing apples 

 commercially. In recent years many far-sighted individ- 

 uals have been able to purchase neglected apple orchards 

 and by renovation make much quicker returns on the 

 money invested than would have been possible had a 

 young orchard been set out and the owner waited for the 

 latter to come into bearing. Such opportunities still ex- 



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