JUNK MEETING, 1877. 83 



vclopiiicni of this interest, for, ;is I hiive already hinted, it was apparent tliat 

 this was a "fast" age, and that the tendency was to build up the city at the 

 expense of the country. A counteracting inlluence was needed, and no better 

 one could be found. 



The first question for general discussion was : 



""HOW FAK CAN WE COXTKOL THE BEARING YEAR IN OUR APPLE 



ORCHARD?" 



Mr. Garfield. — I was led to choose this question for your consideration by a 

 reuKiidv made to me a few days since by J. N. Smith, of Ingham county, who 

 is an extensive orchardist. He said he had succeeded in controlling the bear- 

 ing year of a young orchard by judiciously removing fruit, and careful summer 

 pruning, so that this season, one of general unfruitfunless among orchards in 

 the State, was the bearing year with him. He had accomplished this against 

 the predisposition of the orchard which tended to bear its great crop last sea- 

 son. It seemed to him tluit this was quite an important matter, and worthy of 

 careful consideration. It is a well known fact that the off year with a majority 

 of orchards occurs at the same time, and if there is any method by which with the 

 exercise of some care we can change this habit the reward. M'ill be ample and 

 sure, for we may rely with a great deal of certainty upon the fact that if it re- 

 quires some attention the majority of orchards will not receive it, and tlie added 

 labor will not be in vain because of severe competition. 



Prof. Beal. — I have known in a number of instances where trees upon small 

 places have been so controlled in their bearing year as to yield fruit at tlie will 

 of the owner, simply by the removal of blossoms or young fruit at proper times. 

 I believe the best way, however, is to enrich the soil sufficiently to bear every 

 year, and control the number of specimens by thinning so as to relieve the trees 

 from the danger of over bearing any one year. The off year is the year for 

 recuperation after the tree has been over-worked without enough to eat. Isovr 

 if it be well fed and not allowed to do more than it is able, fruit may be had 

 every year in sufficient abundance. 



J. P. Thompson. — This seems to be a peach year and not an apple year. Is 

 there any significance in this, and is there any way of accounting for it? 



Prof. Beal. — Without being able to answer Mr, Thompson's inquiry, I wish 

 to add a word to what I have already said. I have been crossing some apples 

 this year, and in the case of trees where nearly all the blossoms were blasted 

 quite a large number of the crossed blossotns developed fruit, seeming to indi- 

 cate that pollen from other varieties and from other localities had a greater 

 power than that from the same blossom and tree. 



Mr. Garfield. — I have noticed this in my own experiments among apples, in 

 one instance the crossed specimens on a Talmaii Sweet that blossomed full, 

 •were the only ones that set api)les. 



Prof. B.uil. — This may not inilicato a practical method of controling the set- 

 ting of fruit, but is a fact worth noticing, and is of scientific importance. 



President Lyon. — ^I have recently recjive I a communication from a man in 

 Lapeer county, which contains a plan for controling the bearing of fruit trees; 

 it was written to me as a secret. It is a })lan that will undoubtedly succeed; 

 in truth, my own experience has proved it a successful method. But wiiether 



