Necessary Qualities

An apple orchard must have certain

qualifications in order to make it worth while to spend the time and

money necessary to accomplish the desired results. These we may take

up briefly under five heads: (1) varieties, (2) age, (3) number or

"stand" of trees, (4) vigor and health of the trees, and (5) soil,

site, and location. The discussion of these subjects in Chapters II

and III has equal application here, but we may perhaps point out their

specific application more definitely in the case of the old neglected

farm orchard.



(1) Varieties should be desirable sorts. If they are the best standard

market varieties, as is often the case, so much the better. Otherwise

little is gained by improving the tree and fruit. Poor or unknown

varieties have little or no market value, except perhaps a very local

one. If the trees are not too old and are fairly vigorous, poor

varieties may sometimes be worked over by top grafting to better

varieties. Characteristics which may make, a variety undesirable are:

inferior quality; unattractiveness in color, shape, or size; lack of

hardiness in the tree or keeping quality in the fruit; low yield; or

being unknown in the market with its consequent small demand. Summer

varieties are worth renovating only when they are in good demand in a

nearby local market.



(2) Vigor is more important than age in the tree, but is closely

correlated with it. Ordinarily one should hesitate to try to renovate

a tree more than forty or fifty years old, but this must always depend

almost wholly on its condition and other characteristics.



(3) In order to make a business of renovation and to do thorough work

which means expense, there must be enough of the orchard to justify

the expenditure of the time and money. This affects the results not

only in expense, but in economy in management, equipment, and

marketing. There should be at least an acre of say thirty trees, and

better, more than that number to justify the expense of time and money

necessary for renovation. One hundred trees would certainly justify

it, other conditions being favorable. Then, too, the trees should be

in such shape that they can be properly treated without too great

trouble and expense, i.e., not too scattered or isolated or in the

midst of regular fields better adapted for other crops.



(4) Vigor and good general health are of great importance. Many old

trees are too far gone with neglect, having been too long starved or

having their vitality too much weakened by disease to make an effort

for their rehabilitation worth while. Good vigor, even though it be

dormant, is absolutely essential. Disease weakens the tree, making the

expense of renovation greater. Moreover, all diseased branches must be

removed, requiring severe cutting and often seriously injuring the

tree. Disease too often stunts the tree to such an extent as to make

stimulation practically impossible. Such matters should be carefully

looked into before attempting renovation.



(5) If the soil, site, and location are all unfavorable or even if two

of these are not good, time and money are likely to be wasted on

renovation. What constitutes unfavorable conditions in these respects

has already been pointed out in Chapter III.



Practically the same principles of pruning, cultivation, fertilization

and spraying apply in the management of the old orchard as in any

other orchard. It may be well, however, to restate these, briefly

pointing out their special value and application to the old neglected

orchard together with the few modifications of practice necessary. The

steps to be taken are four: (1) pruning, (2) fertilizing, (3)

cultivating, and (4) spraying.



(1) PRUNING.--Old and long-neglected apple orchards usually have a

large amount of dead wood in them. This may be removed at any time of

the year, but fall and winter are good times to begin the work. If the

trees are high and the limbs scattered and sprawling so that the

middle of the trees is not well filled out, the trees should be headed

back rather severely. Such trees may safely have their highest limbs

cut back from five to ten feet. It is best not to remove too many

branches in one year, but to spread severe cutting back over at least

two years, as so much pruning at one time weakens the tree and causes

an excessive growth of "suckers." Each limb should be cut back to a

rather strong and vigorous lateral branch which may then take up the

growth of the upright one. The effect of such heading back will be to

stimulate the branches lower down and probably to bring in more or

less "suckers." The following year the best of these suckers should

be selected at proper points about the tree, headed in so as to

develop their lateral buds, and encouraged by the removal of all other

suckers to fill in the top and center of the tree in the way desired.

All such severe heading in should best be done in the early spring.



(2) FERTILIZING.--At some time during the late fall or winter twelve

to fifteen loads of stable manure should be applied broadcast on each

acre, scattering it well out under the ends of the branches. This will

amount to a load to from three to five trees. In case manure is not

available, or sometimes even supplementary to it in cases where quick

results are wanted 100 to 200 pounds of nitrate of soda, 300 to 500

pounds of acid phosphate, and 150 to 200 pounds of sulphate or muriate

of potash should be applied in two applications as a top dressing in

spring, as soon as growth starts, and thoroughly worked into the soil.

This will give the trees an abundance of available plant food, which

is usually badly needed, and help to stimulate them to a vigorous

growth. Such heavy feeding may easily be overdone and should be

adjusted according to conditions and the needs of the orchard.



(3) CULTIVATING.--If the orchard has been in sod for a number of

years, as is often the case, it is usually best to plow it in the fall

about four inches deep, just deep enough to turn under the sod. By so

doing a large number of roots will probably be broken, but such injury

will be much more than offset by the stimulus to the trees the next

season. It is a good plan to apply the stable manure on the top of

this plowed ground early in the winter. Fall plowing gives a better

opportunity for rotting the sod and exposes to the winter action of

the elements the soil, which is usually stale and inactive after lying

so long unturned. In the spring the regular treatment with springtooth

and spiketooth harrows should be followed as outlined in Chapter V.



(4) SPRAYING in the old orchard is essentially the same as elsewhere.

It is necessary, however, to emphasize the first spray, the dormant

one, winter strength on the wood. This is the most important spray for

a neglected orchard and it should be very thoroughly applied. It is a

sort of cleaning-up spray for scale, fungus, and insects which winter

on the bark. In orchards where the San Jose scale is bad a strong

lime-sulphur spray should also be used in the late fall in order to

make doubly sure a thorough cleaning up. It is usually a pretty good

plan to scrape old trees as high up as the rough, shaggy bark extends,

destroying the scrapings. For this purpose an old and dull hoe does

very well. This treatment will get rid of many insects by destroying

them and their winter quarters.