Evening journal., 1903-03-14
CARE or FRUIT
TREES IN SPRING
Results in Yields b. thinning
Out of tlic R0dH
Fruit
Fruit
IMPROVEMENT OF THE ORCHARD
Best Crops Are Secured BY Feeding
the Soil and Preventing Excessive
Production of Inferior Fruit-other
Items of Interest

VIZ 49, eiiN fNFNHhff5 -NNNcetNN
Production Of Inferior Fruit-other
Items of Interest
The orchards of this country have re-
oeived more consideration during the past.
decade than for a century previous. Crops
of apples were formerly allowed to waste
on the ground the trees were not prod
tected from Insects, and the quality of the
fruit was a secondary matter, while over
bearing was considered fortunate occur
renee. 1t is difficult ITO convince fruit-
growers, however, that ut is to their ad-
vantage to Thin the fruit off the trees,
and in that respect theX suffer a loss
which could easily be avoided. 1t IS main
tained that tho amount of fruit on a tree
may be regulated in two ways-by prun-
ing away part Of the branches to pre-
vent the formation of too much fruit, or
by picking. off the superiuous fruit as
soon as possible after 1t is formed, With
such fruits as grapes, raspberries, black
berdes and the like pruning ds preferred,
rs 1t IS more easily done than by picking
off the fruit. In the case Of currants and
gooseberries. which are. as a rule pruned
less severely than grapes, raspberries and
blackberries. thinning might be an advan-
tage. With eurrants the removing of the
tips of the stems gave 15 per cent. more
berries to the cluster, and the separate
berricB4 were per cent. heavier onsthe thin
bushes than on the others. There Is also
the attractiveness OF the fruit in the mar
ket, which must not be overlooked, as the
appearance has much TO do with the
prices obtained.
It seems like a sacrifice to deliberately
remove the fruit from the tree, yet at the
IIatchsstation the yield Of Gravenstein mp
pies on the trees that had been thinned by
hand was nine bushels Of first quality
fruif, one bushel second quality, and ten
and a half bushels windfall. On other va
rieties the trees that had been thinned Of
fruit gave two bushels of choice fruit,
while the unthinned trees gave none at
all. The market value of the fruit on the
trees that had been thlnned was from two
ito dleven times as much as that from the
others afhe net gain ranging from So cents
to 81. So per tree. The results with plums
were very similar to those with apples re-
garding the increased production OF fruit.
A tree each Of Guci and Victoria plums
was divided into approximately equal
halves, -one-hals being thinned and the
other half left as a check. The thinned
half of the Guci tree yielded nine quarts
of marketable fruit and the unthinned
half five and a half quarts. The yielc
from the thinned and un'lpnnee
halves, of the Victoria tree was
16 quarts and nine and a half quarts re
spectively, the net gair due to thinning be-
ing. 20 cents and Al cents respectively. An
other rehnarkable result was that the thin
ned fruit was much less affected by dis.
ease.
The advantages of thinning fruits from
the trees are many. Thinning increase'
the size Of the fruit, gives more color anS
also better flavor. Il dilnindshes the pro
portion OF wlndfalls, increases the amoun
of first quality fruit, and the total yael'
Is larger, while a higher price per bushe
is obtained. 1t lessons the amount Of rot
especially in the case Of peaches ans
plums. since the disease can spread les
easily where the fruits do not touch eacl
other. Thinning also tends ito keep all in
iurions insects in check, as care IS take
TO remove all infested fruit. Anothe
point is that It weakens the tree more {
nroduce large quantities of Inferior frui
than to yield the same quantity Of mrs
quality fruit in bushels, as the extr
amount Of seeds in the more numerous ap
pies. peaches, plums, etc, taxes the tree
severely. 1t is well known that many tree
that are overloaded one year seldom bea
the next. but by reducing the work r.
ouired of the trees 1T is possible to have
crop every year. Favorable years, whic
v,rr44rnffnr1 ~ frtri
o,-ercroN,d the market, low prices rulin
only choice fruit selling at profit an
with the increase Of quality due TO thu
ming follows better prices, slight Il
crease tn the prices being the dlfferen
between profit and loss. The proper tin
TO Thin il before THE fruit becomes
largo as TO oyertax the tree, and the pic
ing Of the fruit should be done ina ma
ner 90 as not TO allow the fruit TO toHc
Giving distance of from four to s
inches between each. The advantages
,abtnnine have been clearly shown 10 81
better prices and larger yields, but
greatest obstacle i'm the way is that OF
duoing fruit growers to thin the iru
ss MANY of them look upon the practice
a sacrihce.
Notes About the Farm
In estimating the value OF crop
should endeavor to include in ITS cost
only the labor. but the material aah
from the soil in dts production. Eslim'
ing crop of potatoes from an acre at
bushels. and a crop of corn a'
bushels. the former will remove from
soil 1876 pounds potash, 4S pounds pm
phoric acid and lOl pounds nitrogen WI
the corn will take away lsi pounds p
ash. is pounds phosphoric acid and