126 ON THE PRACTICABILITY OF RENOVATING FRUIT-TREES. 
way ; and last summer having been very dry and hot,, was certainly a 
strong test. In the iron house I had a very moderate crop in quantity, 
but the quality was very superior, and I had no appearance of shrivel¬ 
ling in the bunches; but in the other house, although air was admitted 
night and day during the greater part of the summer, the crop, which 
was unusually large, was half destroyed by shrivelling, and very few of 
the berries on the bunches were well-flavoured. 
I think these facts go very far to prove that the want of air is not 
the cause of the disease. But there is another circumstance which 
tends in favour of the common opinion—I mean, the fact that the 
disease is never found in the open air on walls; at least, I never 
remember to have observed it. 
In common with many of your readers, I beg, in conclusion, to say, 
that further remarks from Mr. Denyer cannot fail to be acceptable; 
and I trust the subject will call out many more of your practical 
readers. I am, Sir, your obedient servant, 
R. G. 
ON THE PRACTICABILITY OF RENOVATING OLD FRUIT-TREES 
BY CUTTING BACK AND RE-GRAFTING. 
Fruit-trees in orchards and in gardens, whether trained as espa¬ 
liers or on walls, are liable to become stunted, mossy, and unfruitful 
from old age. When in this state, they only encumber the ground, 
become unsightly, and moreover, if they do bear a few fruit, it is small 
and inferior in quality. When fruit-trees arrive at this feeble state, it 
becomes a question with the owner whether the whole should not be 
rooted out and replaced by young ones. It is very probable that the 
generality of gardeners would approve of this mode of renewing the 
collection; for, by retrenching the borders, and adding a fresh supply 
of proper soil, and choosing a set of young healthy trees as successors 
to the old worn-out ones, the walls or espaliers would soon be again 
replenished, and but little time would be lost. 
But, without dwelling on the great labour and expense consequent 
upon the renewal of the borders, replanting, &c., it might be worth 
while to inquire whether the same result might not be compassed in a 
much more convenient, and as certain a manner, by re-grafting the old 
trees, or by simply cutting back the old branches to induce the produc¬ 
tion of young shoots, "which may be trained in the same manner as 
before. 
We have seen both these schemes practised most extensively in old 
