FORTIETH ANNUAL REPORT. 69 



Q. Don't you get a better color by Lime-Sulphur than Bordeaux? 



A. Yes. Last year I ruined a crop by Bordeaux, but this year I used 

 Lime-Sulphur and it was all right. 



Q. I would like to know a little about thinning of trees. How much 

 you thin, etc? 



Mr. Farnsworth — Of course the question of thinning is a pretty hard 

 one, for which no definite rale can be laid down. The orchardist who 

 has been picking apples knows how they bear. My way of thinning is to 

 go into the orchard with my man, thin myself, just as I want the work 

 done, and require that they do it that way. You may say to your man, 

 "Leave the fruit so many inches apart?" and the chances are they will 

 not do as you say; but if you will go with them and give them an illus- 

 tration of just how you want the work done you will get reasonably sat- 

 isfactory results. We thin our plums, apples, peaches, and pears, and 

 we finish thinning i>eaches before picking strawberries if possible. The 

 sooner you can thin a tree after the June crop drop, the better. The 

 trees that are thinned later will not bear so large fruit as those that are 

 thinned earlier in the season. There is some variation in ditferent trees 

 and the results we get in thinning as above indicated are very satis 

 factory. 



Q. Do you mix your own Lime-Sulphur for summer spray? 



Mr. Farnsworth— My brother and I have one of the best plants in the 

 state for making the home made article. We have tried both this and the 

 commercial article, but for the last two or three years we have used the 

 commercial article entirely. 



On the peach I used the self boiled this year, but I shall use the com- 

 mercial product on the peach next year. I have never used it as yet. 

 Taking everything into consideration, we are satisfied that the saving of 

 time and the absolute uniformity we are able to get in the commercial 

 product than in the home-made, though in point of first money cost it 

 may be a little higher. 



Q. I understand you to say that in planting in fillers, you would not 

 use Wagners? 



Mr. Farnsworth — We have other varieties that do better on my soil. 

 Side by side Wagners are not bearing so much as the Duchess, Trans- 

 parent or Jonathan. That may not apply on all soils. 



Q. Do you believe in planting a great number of varieties in a com- 

 mercial orchard? 



Mr. Farnsworth — That is a pertinent question. If you are situated 

 as I am it is all right. I have good facilities as regards transportation, 

 nearby market, etc. But for the general farmer and small fruit grower 

 I don't believe I would advise it. For years I have been planning to 

 keep my work going over twelve months. We begin picking the apples 

 as soon as possible and by having different varieties that mature at dif- 

 ferent times the labor of picking and getting on to the market is dis- 

 tributed over the entire season. Then as a rule growers want several 

 varieties. Early in the season it is Kambo, Grimes Golden, then Bald- 

 wins, Spies, etc. We have to have the different varieties in order to meet 

 this demand. 



Q. What have you to say on the matter of wind-brakes? 



Mr. Farnsworth — I have wind breaks, but tliey are around our build- 

 ings and not around our orchards. I prevented blowing off of fruit by 



