24 MAINE AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. 



all seasons and in the rudest ways. By this it should not be 

 understood, however, that care is not necessary in the mechanical 

 operation of pruning. On the other hand, it is of the greatest 

 importance that large limbs be removed with care and the 

 woimds painted to prevent the entrance of fungi which will 

 induce deca)^ 



Trees are sometimes broken by heavy loads of fruit or by ice. 

 In such matters, prevention is better than cure, and in training 

 young trees, all crotches should be avoided. If bad crotches 

 should be found to exist in trees ten or more 3'ears old, they 

 should be braced by means of an iron bolt. Much damage may 

 be avoided if bolts are used in season. 



If the land on which the orchard is located has never been 

 plowed, the surest way of stirring the soil and working in the 

 necessarv' fertilizer is to fence off a portion of the area to be 

 renovated, and turn in several hogs. The hogs, in rooting for 

 grubs, will stir the soil as completely as would be possible with 

 plow and harrow. The value of this treatment has been fully 

 demonstrated at the farm of Charles S. Pope, Manchester, where 

 most of the orchard work of this Station has been conducted. 

 An orchard some fift}^ years old, which had not been plowed for 

 more than twentj^ 5'ears, was treated as above noted, ten hogs 

 being placed in the enclo^re of about one and one-half acres 

 in extent. The trees in this enclosure assumed a brighter, richer 

 color which was noticeable from the street, half a mile distant. 

 Xo accurate account of the yield of the trees in this plot as com- 

 pared with others was kept, but ]SIr. Pope reports that there 

 was a decided difference both in 3'ield and in qualit)^ of the 

 fruit. So satisfactory.- were the results that each year since the 

 first trial a new area is set apart for similar treatment. 



Xot infrequently, during winters when the snow remains long 

 on the ground, apple trees will be girdled b)'- mice and rabbits. 

 In such a case, ''bridge grafting" is often practiced with satis- 

 factory- results ; /. e. cions are set at frequent inten-als about the 

 trunk of the tree, one end being inserted underneath the bark 

 above the w-ound, the other below. In this way the circulation 

 of sap is maintained and the tree may be saved. The wound 

 should be covered w-ith grafting wax or with fresh cow dung, 

 to exclude the air. 



