Mower County transcript., 1871-08-10
Oyer.CrOpping.

NEAR akin to tie negligence by which
trees arc suffered to smother and drtOrnl
themselves with sultrtlu,us wood, is th;;
CustOm-;.llnost universal in this count y
of allowing them to carry an unr1 asona-
bic quantity Of fruit. This over. cropping,
indeed, is one Of the greatest, as it is one
OF the most obstinate evils that horticul-
tural science is struggling to eradicate
Under the various artificial Influences to
which fruit trees in Enrticns and orchards
arc suij ctc,l, they Oft II ovt rbcar. The
best cuI,ivAtors, however, make it an in
flexible rule not to allow any tree to carry
SO much fruit as to necesstate prppping
ur OF the branches But the number of
this class of thorough practitioners is cx-
ccedingly small. All over the country, in
fact, propping is the rule, aud thinning OF
the luit is the rare exception.
The operation sscit's, it is true, to de-
mand a certain sort Of courage that only
veteran cu|tiva;ors can Command.
T., cut of the Ou,crmost of tho two or
three clusters on every sEoot Of y grape
vine, tn pull IE!lf, rr more, Of the sIHci-
mems from n fine Bartlett or Scckel pear
tree, oppressed i'A the weight # its own
tscne1nsi y, rcuutrs nerve, such as can
! hardly be expected fr III raw recruits in
tho business. Still, SO Xircmcly satisiac.
tory ar" the Results OF this operation, that,
"h' rcvcr il has been TesOlut. ly begun, ii
never fails to be followed up III future
years.
In the performance Of this, us of other
work among trees, a little experiences
proves more srrviceabc than IL great Goa,
! OF teaching. AS a general rule, supported
by the practice, as 3lat'd abnvr, of the
best cuitlv"tnrs, no tree shnuld be per
mitted to retain any more OF its fruit than
1t can carry to maturity without being
tied up, or supported in any wHy. This,
where trees are overload d, rctrssitat"s a
removal of from one fourth to three
f"ur'hs, AS the r"~c may require: OF the
Young specimens left grow ng after tho
fall Of the blossoms. The suportluous
fruit ought to BE- picked of in June or
July. At the time OF this frs: l,inning
; however, it is advisable to leave about
double The quantity on the tree that it is
intended shall ripcn there Going over
the trees a seco:d time, in August, the
I number Of specimens should be finally re.
dutcd SO rs to complete the operation
taking care to sclcc, for removal al fruits
! that arc wormy, dclolmcd, badly situated
and unpromising
Or dwarfs, aud smallish standards, such
thinning out-wi'il the fingers and
thumb nail, as the most convenient imp]c
mcnts-n'ay he rapidly performed; but t
20 over full grown apple or pear tree il,
this way isa Stow and rat trtIiols labor
still, where the cultivation has not beer
negl'c I'D in other respects, such thinning
in most cases, will pay, inasm,u}l Us
properly done, it never fails to secure ;
fair crop"t first 'i'lrlty, instead of a liitl.
larger quantity OF very interior fruit. Bu
the effect Of the operation on the future
health and viS"r ct trees is of much more
importance than any such improvement o
their lro'lucts; for a trc. that has ono,
borne itself to Gcatl'- ~ the phras,
forcih(y expresses livery rarely, aut
only after number of years, il ever, re
covers from the consequences of it's OK
haust"d vitality. Cor. Jo"1mnl IF Moti