1882.] EEPORT ON POMOLOGY. 333 



youBg bearing age, by contracting for the entire extinction of 

 every blossom, especially on Baldwin and other alternate even 

 year bearers. Boys and girls of twelve to sixteen years of age 

 may easily do this, and at such rates as to make it an object to 

 employ them to considerable extent. 



Were this to be repeated every year, it might or might not pay; 

 but the probability is strong that once changed and out of the old 

 ruts, a cycle of years of odd year bearing, might follow much to 

 the profit of the orchardist; in fact, the experiment has in many 

 known cases been tried with satisfaction. We would not advise 

 this on an old tangled unpruned orchard, but on such as offer the 

 best results with convenient access and least outlay ; neither should 

 the practice extend over too much ground, we should seek simply 

 to equahze our fruit crops ; yet, had I twenty acres of Baldwin, 

 or Roxbury Russet apples, 1 should have little fear of glutting the 

 .market in odd years; should they all come into bearing then. 



In any case the remarks about top-dressing, cultivating, and 

 pruning may be judiciously adopted. 



The question has often been a,sked, will scions from an odd-year 

 tree be sure of bearing the odd year ? We say no ; there are so 

 many conditions and surroundmgs that affect the growth and fruit- 

 age of trees, that there is no certainty about it, and an orchard 

 whose trees were grafted from scions alike, differ often in their 

 bearing years. Yet I am free to say, if I could just as well use 

 scions or buds from odd-year trees, I should choose them. And 

 in our nursery practice, whenever practicable with any kind of 

 fruit-trees, we choose scions or buds from the best bearing trees, 

 rather than the same kinds in nursery rows. 



Insect Depredations. — It is a lamentable fact, that thousands 

 of trees in every part of our State are destroyed every year by the 

 apple-borer, which is most destructive in the quince and apple 

 trees; and the peach-borer, which causes great destruction among 

 peach trees; the more promising and vigorous the tree, the more 

 inviting is its soft cellular tissue as food for the growing larva; 

 consequently the careful fruit grower needs to be ever on the alert 

 to prevent the ravages of these destroyers. 



Wherever an orchard or even a tree is found infested with bor- 

 ers (which is easily seen by the borings about the collar of the 

 tree, or with the peach, by the exuding of the gum), it should be 

 thoroughly probed and cleaned with a sharp-pointed knife, after 

 which it should have a free application of soap. 



