FORTY-FIRST ANNUAL REPORT. 13 



A Member— Taking the different varieties, such as the Northern Spy, 

 Ehode Island Greening and Grimes Golden, how thin would you make 

 these on the tree? 



Mr. Hawley — That would depend on circumstances. You must go ac- 

 cording to the varieties. The Greening will bear the whole length of the 

 limb, so also the BaldAvin. Then again, it will depend on how you have 

 trimmed your trees. If you have lots of branches, you must have them 

 six or eight inches apart. My Greenings this year dropped so heavily 

 that I was mourning. I told my son that we would not have a quarter 

 of a crop — in fact, I did not think we would have five bushels to the tree, 

 but when they began to grow, I actually had to thin, and we had the 

 best crop of Greenings we ever had, and there did not seem to be hardly 

 any on the trees at first. If you have them a foot apart, it is not too 

 far apart. 



A Member — I notice in the exhibit over across the road that you have 

 a good many Kings, but you haven't said anything about Kings. 



Mr. Hawley — The King is a poor bearer. It is a good apple, however, 

 if you can make it bear. Possibly this can be done by girdling. The 

 oniy objection to them is that they are shy bearers. They are like the 

 Canada Red. 



A Member — Do you usually wait until the June drop before you thin ? 

 Mr, Hawley — Yes. 



A Member — What is the effect of this girdling on the growth of the 

 tree? 



Mr. Hawley — Very little. 



A Member — I would like to inquire if summer pruning would not have 

 the same effect? 



Mr. Hawley — No, I have practiced summer pruning for years. It does 

 help to some extent, but not what is desired. 



Mr. Olmstead — Y''ou said that some criticism was made with regard 

 to the grading of apples, that they were so ix)or that they would make 

 a pig squeal. Then later in connection with the same thought, the gentle- 

 man said that he took these apples and fed them to his pigs. I would 

 like to inquire if he is not by so doing laying himself liable to the law 

 for cruelty to animals? (Laughter.) 



A Member — Regarding the question of girdling, I started that thirty- 

 five years ago when I was a small boy. I had heard it said tlmt girdling 

 would make a tree yield. Father had an old Baldwin tree that failed 

 to bear as it should, and we girdled it. The next year that was full 

 of fruit, but that is the last year that it bore. Now I believe from my 

 exijerience, and I have all my life been in the orchard business, there is 

 a better way than to girdle. Cultivate your orchard in the spring and 

 then check the growth by stopping cultivation, and in this way I believe 

 better results and surer, and without injury to the tree, can be secured 

 than by girdling, 

 A Member — Have you ever used Spy scions on healthy stock? 

 Mr. Hawley — I have never tried it. 



Mr. Morrell — May I add to what Mr. Hawley has said two things in 

 regard to the Mcintosh Red in Michigan? It is one of the most 

 promising apples you have. It is an enlarged Snow, as high or higher 

 quality than the Snow, and sells readily in the Chicago market at from 

 $5 to |6 -per barrel. The other point is in regard to thinning apples. A 



