Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1871-06-26
NO. $50.
Misfellal1eous.
THINNING FRUIT.

One of the greatest secrets in successful
fruit-growing, or perhaps the greatest, is
the thinning of the frlit npon the tree
while young. Many people cultivate their
fruits in the best manner, and vet often
fall OF success. Those who meet with the
best results are those who combine tilage
with rigid practice of thinning.
young tree taken from the nursery,
where it has received good cultivation, is
in very vigorous condition, and in trans
planting is unavoidably checked, giving
it a tendency which we often notice in
young trees, to produce fruit 1t seems
to be a law IN plant-life, that when the
vigor OF plant is impaired, nature pro-
vldes Tor an increase of the species by
the formation of seed. In the effort to
perpetuate its kind, the plant is generally
still further weakened. In this natural
tendency may be found one reason for the
theory of root-pruning, pinching in, and
seeding down orchards to grass, in order
to produce fruitlessness. Young trees in q
few years. if left to themselves, will so
overbear us to become stunted and worth
! less.
In order to remedy this, it is necessary
to remove all fruit from young trees until
they attain sufficient vigor TO support a
crop without injury In the well-known
example of the odd-year Baldwin apple,
the tree bears so heavily one year as to
exhaust it, and is unable to support anoth-
er crop until it has recovered The year
OF bearing may be changed by removing
the blossoms the bearing year, and the
next season will be the fruitful one.
Few people have the moral courage to
remove the surplus fruit that sets upon a
tree; but if they realized the benefit that
would arise from it they would not hesi-
tate tor moment to do it. Looking at it
in any light whatever, we see a great adj
vantage from its practice. If quantity is
the object, we get the same quantity in
the increased size of the remaining fruit.
If fine quality is desired, the advantage is
very much in favor Of thinning. The pro-
duction of seed is far more exhaustive to
the plant than that of any other part and,
upon tree left unthinned, one-half or
two-thirds more seeds are ripened, while
where the fruit has been thinned, the ma
terial that wonld have gone to nourish the
large number OF seeds goes to the remain
ing irult, and to the Strengthening of the
wood, rendering it much more capable of
carrying a crop the next season.
The removing of the surplus fruit should
w Noiio do sooii us pOSSIDlc a1ter 1t has at
tanned size enough to enable the grower
to determine what will make the best
specimens; this will be from five to six
weeks from the time of blossoming. and
care should be taken to have it distributed
evenly over the tree. Small scissors are
the most convenient tools for removing it,
as they can be inserted among the fruit
without injury to what is to remain.
grape will be greatly benefited by severe
thinning. If the the trees are heavily
loaded with fruit, one-half or two-thirds
should be removed; and one will be as
tonlshed at the increase in size, beauty
and flavor. This will apply to all kinds of
fruit in measure
No one who wishes to grow nice fruit
for the market and be sure of a sale for it,
can afford to neglect this most important
matter. The reputation of the most sue
cessful fruit-growers has been made more
by this one thing than by anything else
1t makes all the difference between success
and failure