The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1912-07-25

< out putting them upon one or nor
apples. Not only does this labor
!. ious job insure good apples, br
the surer is crop the ensuin
year, and the greater possibility
there of breaking up that onl
too-trying characteristic of the tire
to bear in alternate years. Neithe
in thinning nor in picking shoul(
anyone be allowed to stand wholly
or even partly in the tree, for by
SO doing branches are split down
and the wounds of heavy shoes
render the limbs susceptible to fun
gous diseases, including that terri
BILE sconge to the orchardist, APP
ple-grower as we'll as pear-grower,
the Fire Blight" often known
west as the Pear Blight To
avoid this standing in trees, tall
ladders must be employed as the
trees grow larger, and if the head
of the trees has been kept open,
these ladders can often be supple
mented by boards extending right
through the tree, and held in place
by resting on ladders. By this
means workman can often get
! right into the middle of large
tree, without standing on a single
limb. Some do this thinning by
pinching with the thumb and fin
gers; some by little narrow scissors,
called thinning scissors; but | have
found no implement to suit me
SO well as good hand primers, with
the sharp tips ground off round SO
as not to stick into young apples
when attempting to get off all the
apples of a cluster save one. If
one has but a small orchard, this
thinning should be done as soon as
the apples set" well, say about the
size of large cherries. In large
orchards this is impossible, unless
much help can be obtained I find
it no drawback to have this. work
of thinning extend over more than
a month, for often by delaying
part of it you need less help, while
this delay makes>st possible often
to leave the best apple in the cluster.
and cut out all infested by the first
brood of coddlin moth. When this
is done, such apples should be cut
open on the spot and the worm de-
stroyed, not thrown to the ground
with worm enclosed. The other
extreme must be carefully avoided,
however. No apples should be
left for thinning after the seeds
have formed wholly or in part, for
it is into this seed-forming that
most of the nitrogen goes, and
this unnecessary ex-
penditure of nitrogen saps the
tree and the remaining fruit.
In the mater of gathering the
crop there is no way | can en-
phas:ze too strongly the need of
care in packing and storing apples. !
Some varieties, such as Ben Davis,
Gano and Rome Beauty will stand |
rather severe handling without i'm
pairing their selling materially, |
while others should be handled like
eggs. Often have | seen a good |
crop brought to maturity, only to
be spoiled or considerably injured
by careless picking and marketing.
Perhaps I can best say how this
should be done by employing a lot
Of "dont's"
Don't shake off your apples.
Don't reach up too far and pull
hem off with jirk.
Don't pull the stem out of the
apple.
Don't pick the apples till ready,
or you will pull off a quantity of
,ruit-spurs with your apples.
Don't pick into any vessel which
will bruise your apples.
Don't pour them like potatoes.
from picking-vessel into
,ox.
Don't have too high a fruit
wagon, but employ low wheels.