SOME HINTS ON RENOVATING OLD ORCHARDS
Nearly every general farm in the humid part of the United States has
its small, old apple orchard. For the most part these orchards were
planted in order to have a home source of supply of this popular
fruit. In fact, but few orchards have been planted on a commercial
scale with a view of selling the fruit, until recently and outside of
a few sections. Therefore, as a rule we find these old farm orchards
to consist of a few acres containing from twenty-five to two hundred
trees. These trees are usually good standard varieties which have been
the source of much apple "sass," many an apple pie, and many a barrel
of cider-vinegar.
Not having been set for profit, these trees received little care.
Orchards were cropped in the regular rotation, or with hay, or
pastured. Farmers then knew little of modern methods of orchard
management. The orchard was regarded as an incumbrance to the land,
which had to be farmed to as good advantage as possible under the
circumstances, and if the apple trees by any chance yielded a crop,
the owner regarded himself as fortunate indeed.
But conditions have now changed. Both local and foreign markets have
been opened up and developed so that the demand for good fruit is
great. It will be some time before the thousands of acres of orchards
which have been and are being planted to meet this demand will be able
to do so in any adequate way. It has been shown in Chapter I how heavy
has been the falling off in the supply, even in the face of these
heavy plantings. Meanwhile we must turn to the old neglected farm
orchards for our supply of apples. Just at this particular time the
renovation of these old orchards offers a splendid opportunity to
increase the farm income.
The question is a live one on nearly every general farm in the East.
Will it pay to try to renovate my old apple trees? If so, what should
I do to make them profitable? What will it cost and what returns may
be expected? The latter question will be taken up in the following
chapter, but here we must try to indicate under what conditions it
may pay to renovate an old orchard, as well as those under which it
may not pay, and also how to go about the problem.
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.
PATCHING OLD TREES.--A few suggestions on patching up the weak places
in an old tree may not be entirely out of place. The question is often
asked, will it pay to fill up the decayed centers or sides of old
trees? If the tree is otherwise desirable to save, it usually will.
Scrape out all the dead and rotten material, cleaning down to the
sound heart wood. Then fill up the cavity with a rough cement, being
careful to exclude all air and finishing with a smooth, sloping
surface so as to drain away all moisture. This treatment will probably
prevent further decay and often acts as a substantial mechanical
support.
Trees which are badly split or which have so grown that a heavy crop
is likely to break them over should be braced with wires or bolts.
Where the limbs are close together a bolt driven right through them
with wide, strong washers at the ends is very effective in
strengthening the tree. Where limbs must be braced from one side of
the tree across to the other wires are the best to use. They may be
fastened to bolts through the limbs with wide washers on the outside
hooks on the inside, or by passing the wire around the branches. In
the latter case some wide, fairly rigid material such as tin, pieces
of wood, or heavy leather should be used to protect the tree from the
wire which would otherwise cut into the bark and perhaps girdle the
limb.
COST.--For the benefit of those who would like to get some idea of the
probable cost of renovating old apple orchards, the following estimate
made by the writer in a recent government publication on this subject
is given. This estimate has been carefully made up from actual records
kept on several New York farms. Because these costs are very variable
according to the condition of the orchard, both maximum and minimum
amounts are given per acre for the first year only.
Minimum Maximum
cost cost
Plowing $2.00 $3.00
Manure, 10 to 20 loads at $1, or their
equivalent in commercial fertilizer 10.00 20.00
Hauling manure 5.00 10.00
Pruning and hauling brush 5.00 10.00
Disking or harrowing twice 1.00 1.50
Disking or harrowing 3d or 4th time .50 1.00
Cultivating two to four times .50 1.00
Spraying once with L.S. dilution 1 to
9--material 2.00 4.00
Spraying once, L.S., labor 1.00 1.50
Spraying second time with L.S. dilution
1 to 40, labor and material 1.50 2.50
Spraying third time with same 1.50 2.50
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Total cost $30.00 $57.00