Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1912-01-23
Orchard Renovation.

Orchard Renovation.
BY PROFESSOR E. +. HITCHINGs AMI
INSTRUCTOR W. R. PALMER.
Maine orchards have been sadly
neglected in the past and the majority
of them are now suffering from lack OF
care while hundreds are dying from
cauker, lack of nourishment and general
neglect 1t is impossible to raise hrst'
class fruit on trees that have been go
long neglected, and before much can be
done in the way of fruit improvement,
active steps must be taken to remedy
these conditions by striking at the root
of the evil and starting thorough recla,
nation of the old orchard.
The great question is how to bring
back the impoverished soil to its original
condition and to doctor and care for the
run down trees, restoring in a measure
their lost vitality. In most cases or
chard lands have been pastured from
year to year, and the ground so cropped
that but slight protection from the
freezing effect of our severe winters ls
left. Others are but little better locat-
ed, having been planted along the fence
rows, by the side of the road, or in
blocks in the field where the grass is an
nually cut and the land seldom plowed.
Three leading agencies have been at
work in the destruction OF our orchard
trees. viz lst-a constantly decreasing
fertility due to the drain made by the
trees on the soil; 2d-the constantly in
creasing number of insect pests and fun
gus diseases; 3d-the change OF climate
that has reduced our snowfall to such a
degree as to leave the ground more or
less unprotected and subjectipg the
trees to extreme changes OF tempera-
ture. We are then face TO face with this
problem. How can we best reclaim the
barren soil? What method shall we
adopt TO once more see these neglected
trees spring into new life and yield an
abundant crop of finely developed fruit?
We need sound Judgment, abundance of
courage, and willingness to work.
The following steps may be taken in
carrying out the plan of renovation. Re-
move a portion of the tree if planted too
closely. Prune out all dead wood.
Scrape off all loose bark. Bolt or fasten
together all split trunks and crotches.
Tin patch or fill with cement all open
ings that expose the tree to disease and
decay. Practice good system of spray
ing TO destroy fungus and insect troub-
les. Cultivate each year so as to get the
soil in fine mechanical condition. En-
rich well with rotation of fertilizers,
combined with cover crops so as to Sc
cure good wood growth and fruit bud
And last but not least, II
the ground is in need of il, introduce
some system of under-drainage that
shall protect the trees from a wet sub
soil.
800 TniSNING OUT TREES.
The tendency in the past has been to
set apple trees too near each other. ln
many cases We have found them not
over 20 feet apart. This could only re-
suit 10 the formation of high-tOpped,
over. crowded orchard. To remedy this
a plan of the orchard should be care
fully made, locating the trees and re-
cording the position of each. II the or
chard is regular, every other tree may be
removed in each row by alternating in
the cutting, that is cut the even numbers
in the first row, the odd numbers in the
second row, and so on through the or
chard. This will leave the trees 40 feet
by about 2S feet. IL tue orchard is an
old one the tops of the trees should be
lowered by the process of dehorning;
that is by saving off the tops Of the up
right limbs to the extent of 10 to Is feet,
and in some cases 20 TO % feet. This
will allow the forming of new am-
brella-shaped top, SO much desired in
fruit tree. By this process the space
formerly occupied by the removed trees
will soon DO filled in by the tops Of the
new formation.
High-topped trees are very undesir-
able; they are much harder to take care
of; more expensive to spray; offer a
chance for greater wind damage; do not
bear as much fruit; the fruit is much in
jured by dropping; and the cost OF pick
ing is greatly increased. Many orchards
thus treated are paying profit at the
present time ten-fold over what they
were originally producing before the
dehorning process was attempted.
REMOVING DEAD WOOD.
Since the winter-killing of 1906-07,
apple tree canker has secured strong
fOothold throughout the state. Hardly
an orchard but that has suffered to a
greater or less extent. In many cases
the owners gave up in despair and left
the trees as a menace TO those varieties
that were left unharmed. Csnker shows
itself in the dying back of twigs and
limbs, in patches on the limbs, IN the
crotch of the trunk or limbs, on the
sides of the trunk, and sometimes IL
completely girdles the trunk just at the
surface of the ground.
Much of the dead wood is due to this
disease. All such twigs aud limbs
should be removed, cutting back to
healthy wood; all dead patches of bark
should be scraped clean and the exposed
surface, in each case, thoroughly wet
With a solution of two ounces of copper
sulphate dissolved in one gallon OF wa
ter. This can be applied with an old
paint brush. When dry, paint over the
scar with a mixture of white lead and
oil, (boiled linseed oil is best,) to keep
out tue air. II the tops are too thick
trim out all interlscing limbs but do not
open the tops too much the first season
on account of sun-scald. Although the
dead wood may be removed at any time,
vet it is much better to do 1t in the
spring after the severe winter weather
has passed. There will be less chance
for winter injury.
scRApE THE TRrNKs
After the trees have been trimmed the
trunks and large limbs should be lightly
scraped to remove all loose bark. This
destroys many eggs and cocOons of in
sect pests and leaves the trunks in bet
ter condition for spraying. Care should
be taken not to scrape too closely so as
to injure the bark. A good tool for this
purpose is an old hoe with the handle
cut off to a convenient length. A good
treatment for the trunks is to wash them
thoroughly with good solution of soap
and water Zone pound Of soap to five gal
Ions of watsr), applied with brush.
TREE DENTISTRY.
Many OF the old trees are hollow heart.
cd with large cavities in the trunks
holes where limbs have decayed; large
cracks where limbs or trunks have split
down and numerous other defects that
need attention. Where trunks have
split they should be drawn together BY
means of strong bolts, having the threao
cut long enough to allow thick washer
on the outside so ~ to draw the parts
into place again. II crack remains Ill