Old apple tree questions
A friend has a 100 acre farm in an area with good deer and turkey populations in central Ontario. There are several old apple trees around the farm on the edge of fields and bush that are in bad shape, they don't produce fruit and are very bushy and tight, but they are pretty in the srping when covered in blossoms.
I've been told to prune the heck out of them to get them to produce apples again but I'm not sure about how. A quick search on google found lots of info on training fruit trees but nothing on pruning a tree that hasn't been touched in 20 years.
Can I prune this time of year?
Would I be wasting my time?
For all I know these trees may be crab-apple trees, would these benefit the deer and turkeys?
Any advice would be appreciated.