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Show NKGLECTKD ORCHARD NOT HARD TO RENEW IicmonNlratloiiH with old, neglected orchards in 'western North I'arollua made by the division of hortlculturo have shown that these piopertles can ho renex d ami he made to pay a ood ri'turn. II. It. Niswonger, exten-Nlon exten-Nlon horticulturist, working In this section tlmls that many home orchard are rapidly disappearing while other, planted for conunerc.al purposes have so deteriorated that they hardly bear enough fruit for the family table. Many of these orchards cease to hear fruit because of a lack of soli fertility, while others often bloom but tho fruit falls before ripening bocausA of Insects In-sects and diseases. A demonstration made on the farm of W. W. Walker In Henderson county, shows a good margin of prollt for the work done In his orchard. Thirty-live trees about twenty years of age made up of the Wlnosap, SlarU, Hon Puvls and (Iravosteln varieties were used In this demonstration. The orchard hnd received some attention In the past, had been sprayed several times, but the other phases of orchard management manage-ment had been neglected. Last winter a complete program of orchard management was put on In this orchard. The trees we're pruned, sprayed, nnd fertilized nccordlng to the methods advocated by the horticultural horti-cultural workers. Tho Rod was plowed under nnd a dust mulch provided until early summer when the ground was sowed to soybeans, these turned under In (ho fall anil the land put back to a j winter cover of rye. I Throe trees of tho .'!.') were used ns J checks and were not treated. Kroni them only one half of n peek of cull j apples was received, while the remaining re-maining :i trees produced ITS bushels ' of good marketable fruit that sold for nn average of $.".0 per bushel nt the I orchard. The financial record shows that tho : cost of the work was $ l.ri ; the return I from the apples was J4:i7.r0. leaving j a net return to the owner of $.'tl)..r0 j ns payment for his attention. Had he ! not cared for these trees he would j have made nothing, as shown by the three check trees. |