The mountain Democrat., 1863-11-07
To 1nerease the size OF Fruit.

Professor Dubreul points out ten ways
by which the size Of fruit may be increas-
ed; and as fruit raisers are discovering
that fine specimens bring higher price
in city markets, these modes may be wor-
thy of attention. We condense his rules:
l. By dwaring
2. Thinning the branches by pruning.
8. By keeping the bearing shoots short
and near the center of the tree, small spe-
cimens growing on the tips of shoots.
4. Thinning the fruit.
8. Shortening in.
6. Supporting the fruit on its foot stalk.
7. Diminishing evaporation from the
surface.
8. Moistening the surface with cop.
peras.
0. Ringing.
10. Inserting spurs Of old trees on Wig
orous young ones.
These different modes have various de.
grees Of merit. Dwar6ng, by working on
smaller growing stalks, sometimes pro-
duces striking results. Some varieties of
the pear are of little value save on ounce
stocks. A successful marketer of pears
has informed US that he would propagate
the Bartlett in no other way; for although
the tree might perish after one or two
crops, (as it does not commonly endure
long as dwarf,) yet the double price he
obtains for the larger and finer specimens,
more than rcpays all expenses.
Thinning the branches by pruning, and
thinning the fruit on the branches, the 2d
and 4th modes are important, and appli.
cable to all species, from the current up
to the largest sorts of apples. Crowded
shoots produce crowded and half.grown
leaves, as natural consequence, give us
only halfgrown fruit. This mode should
always be adopted in connection with good
cultivation, the most important of all
modes to grow large fruit, but omitted by
Professor Dubreuil. We have trippled
the size Of the Seckel pear in single sea-
son by breaking and melowing the whole
surface beneath the trees; and have known
the ST. Ghslain so much improved in fla
vor as we'll as in size, that it would scarce.
ly have been recognized.
Under the 7th head-diminishing the
evAporation-we are informed that fruits
covered with leaves are larger than those
on the same trees not shaded. The in
creased size of fruit grown in bottles, is
also mentioned as another example, the
confined moist air "keeps the epidermis
pliable." We think another and equally
important reason is the expansion of the
fruit by the increased amount of water it
is thus made to hold. Many have observ-
ed that winter apples grown in dry sea-
sons are smaller, tirmer, higher favored,
and keep longer than those grown in wet
summers. The increase in size is there
fore at the expense of flavor and keeping,
and detrimental to the value of all the
milder favored varieties. Some very rich
or acid sorts, as the Esopus Spitzenburg,
may bear diluting. The small! fruits, as
raspberries, Strawberries, currants, &C.,
are desired as large as possible, and irri ga
tiOn, to supply abundant moisture, some
times produces very desirable effects
We have observed strawberries doubled
in size in twenty.four hours, as compared
with others beside them, by the acciden-
tai drip from a water-cart
A case is mentioned where moistening
an Easter Ceurre pear with a solution Of
copperaG, from the time that it was fairly
set, once fortnight produced "a fruit so
large that it could scarcely be recognized" >"
What was the operation OF the copperas?
Was not this result partly accidental, at
least? 1t is easily tried. We have not
very great faith in what the darkey called
"apotekary manure"
Ringing the shoots may do well for pro-
ducing curiosities. In order that the cal
lus may exude and close up the removed
bark, the width of the ring should not
exceed one.ffth of an inch. This mode
has been tried frequently on the hardy
sorts of grapes. and the result is quite
marked, but as the increase in size is usu-
ally at the expense of favor. and also in
jures the vine, it will likely to bo much
adopted.
The other understanding spurs sup
porting the fruit. &c, will do where speci-
mems for exhibition are wanted, bat are
not proposed for prOHL-COuDtry GeD-
tlemen.