The Portland daily press., 1883-01-29
Fruit Years.

Most fruit trees even in the best fruit re-
gions have fallen into the habit of bearing
fruit only on alternate years. Some varieties
bear much more regularly than others, while
but very few in every locality can be said
to be annual bearers. The question has been
often discussed in agricultural societies, ''Is
there any practicable method of making BIZ
ennial bearing apple trees produce an an
nual crop"' Some good has resulted from
such discussions, and some information i'm
parted not familiar to all our readers.
1t is well known to all fruit growers that
the fruit buds for next years crop are always
formed the preceding year, so that it realiy
takes two years to produce q crop of sny
OF the larger fruits, as apples, pears, quiuce
plums,etc. The buds or germs of the flu
ture crop must be produced, and are plain
ly visible to the practiced eye this year; the
fruit is formed the next. Now but very few
fruit trees have vital energy enough to per-
form both of these functions at the same
time, viz: form the buds and produce the
fruit. With varieties where The yield of
fruit is not excessive it may be done, where
the soil furnishes the necessary pabulum for
the growth OF that particular variety of frnit.
But the mass of fruit bearing trees behave
as though they required rest on either alter
nate years, or on every third or fourth year,
aud some require to rest two or more years
after each crop. Blossom they will abun-
dainty, give every promise of fruit, but fail
only occasionally to produce it.
1t has been suggested to thin out the BIOS
SONS as an incentive to the setting of fruit.
1t may do some good, but it is in even
single large tree task that can never repay,
pecuniarily. Often there is nothing but
bloom year after year; no fruit scissor if it
sets, sheds itself before arriving to any con-
siderable size. This is a habit of some va
rieties of apples, pears, and especially of
ounces, which sometimes promise fruit sew
eral years before the tree has sufficient
strength and vigor to perfect it.
Thinning the fruit IN bearing years has
been recommended, SO as to keep in reserve
sufficient vigor in the tree to enable it to
form fruit buds while forming the fruit, but
this, like thinning the blossoms, is too labo-
rious to be remunerative, even when success
full, as perhaps it may be on a small scale.
venture few suggestions which obser.
vation and experience have taught me are
of value to the fruit grower.
THE CAUSES OF NON. N.BEARING.
l. Want of proper fruit-forming food In
the SOIL This fruit-forming food is so small
in many orchards long in bearing, that it be-
comes so nearly exhausted with full crop
that the tree has not strength sufficient to
produce another crop the next year, the fruit
buds for the crop not forming even, but
when the buds form and the tree blossoms 1t
can not perfect the fruit; SO either the bios
SONS fall or the fruit is shed prematurely.
2. Again, when there is abundance of
fruit-forming food In the soil the tree tends
to enlarge its growth of root, branches and
leaves at the expense of fruit. This 1t NAV
do with some varieties of apples, pears, and
perhaps with other fruits, for years, until
the patience OF the fruit grower Is exhausted
in waiting,
inaa ara
structive to the fruit crop in some localities
and some seasons more than others. The
injury from insects is felt most with light
crop, or in what is called non-bearing years.
and usually when the fruit orchard IS most
neglected.
THE REMEDY
for non productiyeness must depend upon
the cause. If caused by lack of fruit-form-
ing food, which we think is frequently the
case with old orchards, the necessary pabu-
lum must be supplied. Fertilizers rich In
potash, phosphoric acid, soda, sulphurIc and
carbonic acids, should be used broadcast In
the orchard, several feet from the trunk of
the tree where the extending rootlets will
find it. Wood ashes, unleached, contains all
the fruit-forming elements needed. AS a
substitute we use the following cheap prep
aration Caustic lime Stacked in q solution
of common salt and sulphate of potash.
Apply early in the spring at the rate of
peck to large tree; if attainable, mix with
fine charcoal. In the fall apply about one
pound of ground bone.
2, If the tree tends to too great growth
of wood and refuses to bear when in good
ground, cut trench around so as to cut off
gourmand roots about two-thirds the distance
that the branches extend. Cut the roots
with sharp instrument. Flu the trench
with surface soil in which is sprinkled the
above mixture. This should be done in the
autumn,
3. If insects destroy the fruit they must
be fought, by destroying the fallen fruit of
fruit years, and by wrapping the trunks with
bandages and destroying the larv@ or by
burning fire around favorite trees, as indi-
Gated in previous number.-Dirigo Rural.