ii6 beginners' guide to fruit growing 



put on as warm as possible. Canker will be taken 

 care of more efifectively by the spring applications 

 of bordeaux mixture which are to follow. 



CULTIVATION 



Practically all neglected orchards stand in sod 

 land and in practically all cases one of the first and 

 most important steps in their conversion to a useful 

 life consists in plowing the soil. This is an under- 

 taking for a man of patient and forbearing temper. 

 The renovator should also have a quiet and steady 

 team. A well-trained team of oxen is particularly 

 useful in this sort of salvage. A strictly fancy job 

 of plowing must not be expected at this time. While 

 the plow need not go down very deep, it should 

 go as deep as the strength of the oxen and the driv- 

 er's Christian principles will justify. Inevitably a 

 number of large tree roots will be encountered. In 

 some cases the plowman may cut his way through 

 these with an ax; and unless a large amount of 

 this chopping is done near the main trunks of the 

 trees no damage whatever will result. In fact, this 

 sort of root pruning, within moderate limits, must 

 be considered a direct advantage in the line of the 

 main undertaking. 



FERTILIZERS 



All neglected orchards are suffering for want of 

 plant food and their recovery will require the adop- 

 tion of a rational system of fertilization. At the 

 beginning the amounts of fertilizers applied should 

 be relatively small, however. In fact, upon good 

 land it may be a question whether it is not better 



