THE SECRETARY'S PORTFOLIO. 407 



A FACT REGARDING BEARING. 



It! my orchard were several large natural fruit trees, and I concluded to graft 

 them to Baldwins. In my neighbor's orchard were two Baldwin trees, one bore 

 a heavy croi) one year and the other the next, and he ijroposcd that I cut a part 

 of the grafts from one tree, and part from the other, and graft eacli tree with 

 the grafts cut from the two trees. I did as ho proposed, and the result is tliat 

 a part of each tree so grafted bears one year a heavy crop of first quality fruit, 

 while the other part is barren. The next year the other part bears. This 

 alternation has been going on about fifteen years without any perceptible 

 alteration. Tlie fruit is nearly as large again as it is on my otlier trees that 

 give a full crop every other year. L. Wall. 



Webster, J\\ I". 



APPLE CROPS ALTERNATE YEARS. 



A correspondent of the Agriculturist gives several examples of tlie successful 

 fruiting of orchards every year of sorts which usually bear only alternate years. 

 This is done by constant and enriching cultivation. Au orchard in Connecticut 

 was visited the barren year, and plenty of apples found. The ground was plowed 

 frequently and manured liberally. Paying crops were as regular as other crops 

 on the farm. The writer grafted a tree with Cogswell Pearmain, in a rich, 

 well cultivated garden, and it bears every year, although this sort is commonly 

 a biennial bearer. Another orchard, with this sort, and Baldwin and Roxbury 

 Eusset, manured and cultivated, bears every year. The only difference is 

 between good and extra good crops. 



THINNING FRUIT. 



The Michigan Farmer, in notes of the Michigan Agricultural College Farm, 

 says: 



Here is one useful experiment which exemplifies the effect of the thinning of 

 fruit in summer, to which we have often directed attention. There is no part 

 of the farm that receives less attention than the orchard and its fruit. There 

 is no care given to the trees, and the quality of their fruit. There is no 

 attempt made to thin out the fruit, and to thus grow a higher and better quality 

 of variety. Last year Prof. Beal caused a number of tiie Northern Spy apple 

 trees to be severely thinned of their profusion of young fruit, with the intention 

 of trying whether the bearing year could not be changed. Every other year a 

 profusion of fruit was gathered, and the off year there was a scarcity. Well, 

 here in the orchard there was a large number of Northern Spy apple trees, 

 several of them had been thinned last year w'hich was a thin bearing year. 

 Every tree that had been thinned of its fruit last year, was bearing a fair average 

 crop of fruit this year, and the trees that luid not been thinned, but let alone as 

 is the usual custom of orchardists, were standing next to tliem without any fruit 

 on them. To Mr. Beal this proved that the bearnig year could be changed, or 

 at least sustained tliat theory as shown by some pomologists; but still it would 



