New York Agricultural Experiment Station. 379 



Hilton, N. Y., has practiced thinning the Twenty Ounce for the 

 past few years with good results; other instances are occasionally 

 found where thinning apples is practiced, but they are not at all 

 common. ' 



It is to be expected that thinning fruit will give the best 

 results where the trees are in good condition and well cared for. 

 In seeking orchards where the proposed experiments in thinning 

 fruit may be carried on the object has been to select trees in 

 good bearing condition, well fed, well pruned and generally well 

 cared for. The plan is to continue the experiments with the 

 same trees year after year till satisfactory information is secured 

 on the points which are under observation. 



Thinning Plums. 



A portion of an orchard at North Hector, belonging to Mr. 

 Frank Smith, of Auburn, N. Y., was engaged for the experiment 

 in thinning plums in 1896. The varieties selected were Lom- 

 bard, Guii and Bavay's Green Gage. The trees were all thinned 

 alike during the early part of the season, and July 3 and 4 a 

 portion of the trees of each variety was further thinned, so 

 that the fruits were at least three inches apart. The fruit at the 

 time was half grown. The results showed that thinning so late 

 in the season, in this case, had comparatively little effect on the 

 size of the remaining fruit. It is proposed to continue the work 

 with plums, and try various other methods of thinning. 



Thinning Apples. 



Experiments in thinning apples were begun in 1896 in an or- 

 chard of Thomas B. Wilson, Hall's Corners, Ontario county, 

 N. Y. The sixteen trees which are under experiment are of 

 three varieties, namely, Baldwin, Hubbardston and Rhode Island 

 Greening. The two flubbardston trees are about forty years 

 old; the others are twenty-five. Trees of the same variety, as 

 neafly alike in all respects as could be found, were paired for 

 comparison, one of each pair being thinned, the other left un- 

 (liiiuuHl. Three wavs of thinning are being tried. 



