Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1881-08-19

The Massachusetts Ploughman gives some
sound advice on the important subject of
thinning fruit. 1t says
Were it not for the time consumed in thin
ming, it would be profitable to thin all kinds
of fruit for as a rule, fruits of almost every
kind, in good seasons set too thick, and un-
less portion drops off, will be of small size
and never fully mature when a tree over
bears, it checks its vigor, and its power to
mature fruit buds for another year, and some
kinds of trees, like the peach and plum, are
frequently killed by overbearing; therefore,
when a tree is very full of fruit it is economy
to remove a portion of it for the benefit of
the tree, as well as the improvement of the
fruit. 1t is true, it is work Of no small mag
nitude to thin an orchard of large apple trees,
and is rarely attempted by the best fruit grow
ers but if one has a tree of choice apples,
and desires to have them grow to large size
and full perfection, he will not neglect to thin
the fruit. Among all of the fruits there is
none that require thinning more than the
plum, providing the curculio is kept off, for
trees in good condition, with the insects kept
off, will oftentimes be so loaded with fruit Gs
TO break the limbs; and as the fruit hangs in
clusters, the plums touching each other, as
soon as they begin to ripen, in wet or even
damp weather, they will begin to rot where
they touch each other. This fruit should be
thinned SO that each plum shall hang by it
self; to do this oftentimes, five plums must
be cut off, where one is left.
The peach is another fruit that should be
thinned, for although there is not the danger
of its rotting as there is of the plum, yet the
fruit when too thick, is not only small, but
lacks the rich flavor which it possessed by
large, we'll matured fruit. Peach trees that
are permitted to overbear are oftentimes in
jured beyond recovery.
Probably more attention has been given to
the thinning of pears than to any other fruit,
except grapes yet pear tree is rarely ever
killed by overbearing, but always injured
Why this fruit should be thinnned, and many
others entirely neglected in this respect, it is
ess was first resorted to, that large specimens
might be secured for exhibition, and finding
that it was an operation that paid, it was con-
tinued and copied by others, until it became
a general custom among the growers of large
and well-ripened pears. But even the thin
ming of pears is the exception to the rule a
large majority of cultivators have not the nee
essary courage to go into the orchard and cut
off three-fo of the half-grown pears from
the trees. This is business that it takes
time to learn, and to become convinced that
the one quarter left will be of more value
than the whole would have been if permitted
to grow. When the cultivator is once salts
fed on this point, he takes off green pears
with different feeling ne no longer hest
taes, but picks of the fruit with the feeling
that he is doing his duty.
When the thinning is all to be done at one
time, it is better to wait until the fruit is two
thirds grown, unless the trees are very full
As to the quality of fruit to be left to mature
much depends on the location and condition
Of the tree if the location is good one, anG
the tree is vigorous, it will be capable oil
ripening more fruit than tree in a poor 10
cation, with small leaves At the presen
time the rule is that too much fruit is left Il
grow. One who has never had any experience
in thinning fruit would be surprised to see
how quick the fruit that is left to grow at
tains size that makes the tree look fulle
than before thinning. Ne one who has had
experience in growing grapes but has settled
down to the conclusion that it is not onl,
necessary TO limit the number of punches o
grapes TO the capacity of the vine, but ais,
that the number of grapes to the bunch mus
be reduced by thinning, II is surprising t
see how a bunch will fill up after nearly hal
of the grapes have been cut out. What i
true of grapes we have no doubt is true o
many other kinds of fruit that grow in cluster
or buncheg