Connecticut western news., 1883-03-21
RENEWING OLD APPLE ORCHARDS.
How to Make R New Orchard out of an
 old one.

To remove old apple trees and replace them with new ones is one of the great mistakes of the day. We do not refer to trees that have attained their natural age, but to those that have become pre- maturely old, from inattention or abuse, or unfavorabIe circumstances. There is much more vitality in old, neglected apple trees than is usually supposed. Sound trees are also capable of much longer lease of life than they are cred ited with, under favorable circumstances reaching nearly or quite a hundred years. The average term of life, with good treatment, will fall but little below this. Yet apple orchards begin to fail in less than half that time, notwith- standing the evil may be so easily rem edied. Our trees, instead of failing at half their natural age, may be made to reach their full term of years. The same may be done with trees of prema- ture decay with hardly an exception, thus doubling their usefulness, and avoiding the expense of replanting and the delay of fruit bearing in young or chard.
 The difficulty with these failing trees is, that the decaying branches waste sap which should go to the growing and maintaining of new wood to replace the old. This is more certainly and easily secured if the root power is what it should be, the ground deep and sufi- ciently porous to favor drainage, and if ! the roots strike downward, instead of be- ing forced to the surface by the imper- vious subsoi. Old orchards in this con- dition want, first of all. the water taken out of the ground by underdraining 1 Then gradually remove the decrepit old branches; taking two or three years to do it where the top wants entire renova- tion. Where only few large branches are to be removed, the work may be done in less time; in such case the shock will not be so great. These old trees, it seems, are sensitive in this respect. We learned this many years ago by rather
 
 satisfactorily tree may be restored, even when there is but little life left. It is the half-d dead branches that are the life-suckers of the tree. When there is not enough sap to sustain the whole of a branch, the extremities first suffer, and so the heavy wood becomes reservoir of the sap, which all the while lessens and retreats toward the base. If it is not arrested the tree must perish. The gradual decay of trees begins at the tips, with exceptions, as in the case of the Spitzenbergs (Esopus), whose. canker usually strikes the larger branches, and nearer the centre than the extremities, the branches maintaining their growth and continuing to bear their fruit. This happens years before the disease kills the tree. But this can be managed suc- cessfully, as will appear hereafter.
 The first thing to be done with de- caying orchard, after the soil is correct ed, if it needs it, which it probably does in the majority of cases, is to note the extent of the decay. If only quarte, or third of the smaller branches are affected, remove these-an of course re- move dead wood, whether large or smal and thin out little the remainder O. the branchec. This is an importan point in pruning that should never bt lost sight of So far the thing has beer very clear it is only the common, neces sary practice of thinning out branches The most difficult part is yet to come Some of the larger branches are abou dead, and some seem dead. The poin is to ascertain the extent of life, for yo1 are about to lay the ax to the root c these branches, which is like thigh am putation. If there is considerable Tiff left, and the tree has but few of tn 7 large divisions, you are laying the ax t
 the tree itself by removing these. Wher
 there is but little life, branch is pract cally removed already, so far as tn
 shock Cfrom it's excision) is concerned
 Its removal is not only harmless, but n 8 benefit, as what little sap occupied tn
 base uselessly now goes to form ne Q wood, with an increase yearly of growtl f A new shoot having been started :, place of the old, giving thus current
 the sap, another main branch may
 removed the next year, and another u year after, or, if they are numerou more than one year may be taken. It The Time,