EXPERIMENT STATION WORK WITH APPLES. 563 



Experiments at the New York State Station'* in thinninj^ Baldwin, 

 Hul)l)ardston, and Rhode Ishmd Greening apples for four seasons 

 indicate that in seasons when heavy crops are borne thinning the fruit 

 heightens the color and increases the size. When only a small crop 

 of fruit is set, thinning has no appreciable influence on either color or 

 size. The experiments with all three varieties of apples were fairly 

 uniform in showing no tendency on the part of the trees which had 

 been regularly thinned to produce larger crops or to bear more regu- 

 larly than trees not thinned. The thinned trees bore a larger per- 

 centage of tirst-grade fruit than unthinned trees, and the fruit was 

 nuich better adapted for making fancy grades. From a commercial 

 standpoint, the gist of the experiments is contained in the opinion of 

 the practical grower in whose orchard the experiments were con- 

 ducted, to the eflect that, when there is a heavy set of apples and the 

 likelihood of a large crop of small fruit, generally it will p&y to thin to 

 such an extent as to insure good-sized fruit; otherwise not, except as 

 a protection to the tree. It is believed that the cost of thinning a well- 

 loaded apple tree should not exceed 50 cents. 



At the Delaware Station'^ apples on heavily loaded Lankford trees 

 were thinned 4 to <• inches apart, after first removing all inferior and 

 wormy specimens. At harvest time the thinned trees yielded from one 

 and one-half to three times as much tirst-gradc; picked fruit as did the 

 unthinned trees, while the yield of second and third-grade picked 

 fruit was greatest on the unthinned trees. The thinned trees gave 

 from three to .seven times as much tirst-grade dropped fruit as did the 

 unthinned trees, while the yield of second-grade dropped fruit was 

 greater under the unthinned trees. The total yield from the thinned 

 trees averaged about the same as from the unthinned trees. 



HARVESTING AND STORING APPLES. 



Chemical analyses l)y C A. Browne, jr.,' show that, after apples have 

 reached tht'ir maximum size and weight, they receive no further nour- 

 ishment from the tree and may l)e picked and will ripen just as well as 

 if allowed to riMuain on the tree. It is the general experience of grow- 

 ers that apples picked when fully matured, l)ut still hard and carefully 

 stored, keej) better and develop a flner flavor than when allowed to 

 ripen on the tree. The keeping ({ualities of apples appear to be greatly 

 influenced by their condition when picked, the temperature at which 

 they are kept in storag<>, methods of handling, etc. 



The keeping <|uality of diflerent varieties of apples also varies 

 greatly. As a result of exjieriments in storing a numl)er of varieties 



'a New York StaU- Sta. Bui. 2.S9. 

 ''Delaware Sta. Kpt. li»02, |.. !t|. 

 <"Pt'nnHylvania State Dcpt. Agr. liul. 5». 



