STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 5y 



FACTORS THAT AFFECT THE ANNUAL BEARING 



OF FRUIT TREES. 



W. H. CoNANT, Buckfield. 



The subject which I am to discuss is a complicated one, as it 

 treats of the growth and development of trees and the effect 

 of the various orchard practices on maturity of tree and fruit. 

 Since we are told that there is nothing in bud selection to 

 increase the yield of our trees, and note that the present annual 

 yield per tree in the State of Maine is less than one bushel per 

 tree, we must realize the importance of this subject. 



Some of the leading commercial varieties grown in this state, 

 when planted on good orchard soil and well cared for, are 

 producing annual yields of fruit; while those same varieties, 

 planted on equally as good soil, but under poor management, 

 are not producing profitable crops. So there can be no question 

 in the mind of any commercial orchardist but that there are 

 certain factors which influence the annual bearing of fruit trees, 

 over which he may have some control. It is only by a careful 

 consideration of these various factors and living in close fellow- 

 ship with the trees that one may discover the limiting factor or 

 factors in the production of fruit in the orchard. 



There are many factors which may influence annual bearing 

 in trees, but I shall briefly take up only those factors which 

 seem to exert the greatest influence in the productiveness of 

 fruit trees, namely : Pruning, spraying, cultivation, fertiliza- 

 tion, conservation of moisture and cover crops. 



It is not my purpose to lay down any hard and fast rules by 

 which annual yields of fruits may be secured under all condi- 

 tions, but to point out the close relationship of these factors 

 and bring into harmony all the factors which seem to influence 

 the annual bearing habit in trees. In doing this I can only bring 

 you my practical experience and observations regarding the 

 behavior of fruit trees toward annual bearing. 



Many of you were probably present yesterday, to listen to 

 Mr. Sanders, the Government crop estimate man, who has 

 worked over the State of Maine, among the fruit growers, in 

 an efifort to work out some basis, some plan, by which we could 

 secure a more accurate crop estimate. He said that one of the 



