To Prepare for Winter 283 



with newly set trees in cold climates) to bank up the trees 

 with earth to the height of 6 or 8 inches. In making the 

 bank, the workman should be cautioned not to leave 

 holes, from which the earth is taken, close about the tree, 

 for the water is likely to stand in them, and it may do 

 harm. In small-fruit, grape and nursery plantations, it is 

 often advisable to plow a furrow toward the plants, on 

 either side, in the autumn. Care should be taken to pro- 

 vide for top-drainage if the conformation of the land is 

 such as to hold surface water. 



The protecting of bush-fruits, grapes and even trees 

 from winter cold has been discussed on pages 257-259. 



RENOVATING OLD OKCHARDS 



It is impossible to give any specific method of pro- 

 cedure when it is desired to renovate an old and profitless 

 orchard. The first question is, whether the orchard is 

 worth renovating, — ^whether it is too old, too few trees 

 remaining, trees too much weakened by borers and 

 rotten hearts and other injuries, or trees so very tall and 

 sprawly as to promise little return for the effort that must 

 be expended on them. 



If the orchard is thought to be worth it, then the next 

 requisite is a change of heart on the part of the owner. 

 It is then necessary to discover the causes of its unprofit- 

 ableness — ^to diagnose the difiiculty — and forthwith to go 

 straight at the root of the evil. It must be remembered, 

 also, that a long-neglected orchard cannot be expected to 

 arrive at the profitable condition which trees enjoy that 

 have received proper care from the beginning, no matter 

 how thorough the means of recuperating it may be. At 

 the best, one can make only an apology for long years of 



