BUTLER: ALTERNATE BEARING IN THE APPLE 93 
fruitful during its first year of growth and consequently a certain 
regulatory effect will be produced, the magnitude of which can 
be estimated in advance by the number of spurs formed. 
As regards the effect of thinning on the fructification of the 
spurs it should be noted that the purse eyes normally only bloom 
the third year, though they may, as Goff has pointed out,* bloom 
the second season, but such behavior is exceptional and there is 
no evidence at present that thinning advances the time of blooming 
of the purse eyes. 
The value of thinning in regularizing bearing must be small, 
though there can be little doubt but that it is an adjuvant. 
Various cultural operations and methods of fertilization have, 
as would be expected, quite marked results on the regularity of 
bearing of apple trees. This is, of course, not surprising. Cul- 
tural methods affect markedly the vigor and productivity of 
plants and it is easy to understand that in any given soil and 
situation the optimum would be obtained by some one method 
of treatment rather than another. The data presented in the 
following table is in this respect instructive. 
TABLE II 
EFFECT OF CULTURAL METHODS ON PRODUCTIVITY AND REGULARITY OF BEARING 
or NorTHERN SPY AND BALDWIN APPLES 
| 
ae Seer wield 1907 1908 1909 IG10 IQTr 1912 1913 1914 
3955 
a and cover- 
Bu.| Bu. | Bu. | Bu. | Bu. | Bu. | Bu. | Bu. | Bu. 
pe ass 364 |—-341 |+103 |—169 {+141 |—162 (+117 +161 (+148 
pi cover crop | 
and stable manure.| 381.5) —264.5 —236.5 | +111.5 | —165.5 | +230.5 —193.5 +272.5 | +364.5 
illage, cover-crop ; 4 
and 
2 Pe aie sae 420 |—291 |—298 +219 |—302 |+153 |~—259 |+407 +180 
Somemupleh. <6 cn 327.2| —298.2 | —106.2 | —112.2 + 63.8,|— 81.2 ;/+111.8 | +199.8 | +110.8 
gn set and stable : : } 
cal manu 
CP sy ass | 470.7 —386.7 | —255-7|+ 22.3 + 55-3) +150.3 |— 57-7 | +282.3 | +242.3 
Sod-mulch = chem-| ; 
oo | 4r7-$1—379-5|—218.5|— 8.5 '-+142-5'— 47-5'— 25 1275-5 4121.5 
Bu. 
+ 2 
—118.5 
+191 
4111.8 
seer § 
+116.5 
se huge Ag Be eg a ap aOR eS 
* Goff, E. S. Investigation of flower buds. Wisconsin Agr. Exp. Report 17: 
283. 1900. 
+ After data by Stewart, J. P. Cultural methods in bearing orchards. Penn- 
sylvania Agr. Exp. Sta. Pull: 400-25 FOTO. 
tIn 1913 the Baldwin was seriously and precniery affected by frost and the 
yield for the Northern Spy only is given. 
