Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1912-12-05
ILIFE.SAVINC FOR ORCHARDS
Old Ones Not Necessarily Dead Ones--
Methods That VIII Revive Them.

IN gardening anu OTcndruinS, us III
many things else one must learn to call
no man master. Old orchards are n case
in point. One will hardly open any Of
the later farm-garden books without ,ind-
ing the supoiclous counsel, "old trees
are not worth caring for, cut them down
at once and plant young ones In their
places advice which makes a tree lover
| ting. with resentment Tho apple IS
| long lived tree, naturally. In Hereford
shire. since 1915 counted one of the great
| orchard counties of England apple trees
| over a hundred years old are still bear
| ing CALAMITY" as old writer's say. All
| the great fruit regions OF the world. Per-
| ga Italy, Asia Minor and France. own
! ,eteran trees and veteran orchards in
tca ring. and the old fruit gardens OF our
! country, from Dorchester to Cayuga and
! the western reserve of Ohio have famous
apple and pear trees. from which genera
tlons have gathered the fruit.
i The most intelligent practice in tho re-
| vival of friit-growing to-day works close
ly after the old orchard wisdom of the
! 18th century when gentlemen, lords ana
Fings were cultivators of note, 1t Is curl
Gus to find the same sound old methods
followed by owners of prize orchards in
the Kootenays of British Columbia
where apples are not only superb Dut
supreme in their kind" and by the Keen
| sighted farmers Of tho Hood River Val
ley Oregon. where says an English au-
thority, Orchard work is conducted on
tie most scientific principles The men
who made the county Of hereford zone
entire orchard" IA history says, and grew
vineyards. grated cherries. damash
plums. olives, almonds and figs in open
English gardens. were no mean cultlva-
tors To them and to the foremost
orcha rdsts to-day, tree which had
made It's growth and kept vitality enough
To show leaves and blossoms. was wortf
too much to be cut down. With skill, 4
could be brought back to bearing frul
, again. and give years of good crops. Fol
the great wonders of nature are It's pow
crs of renewal.
The first step Is to remove, with very
| sharp clean saw, and a narrow one, al
I dead limbs, taking them off close to Nv
!, Ing branches, or to the trunk OF the tree
Tou can try your prentice hand at cut
ting out dead wood anywhere being mos
, careful not to hrusc live bark. or spill
! live wood in your surgery. II living tbs
a force of the tree loses by so much. an
we want II all to renew the fruit-bearin
a powers of the tree.
!, From November 10 April, in our North
ern States, is the season for general prur
v ing, when weather allows. Mild DAYS
y. January and February favor belate
O orchard dressing. but stop all pruning
r hard frost 1t may SINCE and injure liv
O twigs and boughs. which Will Kill the tire
:. Scrape moss off with the back of A stron
n knife, n small carving knife Is good
A delicate part Of the performance comes
@ cutting live branches that cross eac
other. and fill the tree with leaves an
r. nothing else. except worm nests. II yo'
a tree is full of branches. you can't go
a work and trim it all up, 1T once. Tire
6 ar four boughs this year, and as man
"a the next. and the year after Is all tina
!. will be safe. And cut out the top of tt
;. tree tho big, leading branch, and let tt
l.. sun IN to the rest.
The novice can take off the wat'
II sprouts. those long, straight uprigh
q slim growths. which used to he chose
- when switches were called for. cut ava
Il all that sprout from the base of the tire
=. but if the boughs bear many, cut ma
10 away, the nrst year, anu SlchH 'Hiii "
10 out the second. The boushs are set WI
short. gnarly twlgs which besinn
~ needs to study we'll At first there seen
A. 10 difference among them, bu. one W
"a | roticc some of tho buds at the tips a
4. thinner and sharper than others, al
40 these others are sweled below the II
The sharp, thin buds are the leaves.
swollen ones are the fruit buds, VIII
70 last be thankful TO see, and careful
no preserve,
The pruning over, rake clean all the fa
len twigs, dead grass and rubbish aw;
from the spread OF the branches, in heal
100 This Is March work. by rights. As so
as the frost is out of the ground and Z
aust begins to fly little. begin at t
,55 soil about the old trees. Chop throu
Az the sod at the outer edge OF circle I'll
5O0, ming as far as the bouShs spread. a
- work inward TIL within a foot of the tr
800 With axe or short spade cut through
sod in rays from the trunk to the out
s36l circle. Then begin with keen spade a
i pare the sod, foot by foot, three or 70
inches thick. TIL there is bare ground |
1861 de, the tree. With a steel rake go o'
he tae soil getting out oil the grass roo