208 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



TRITE BUT EARNEST WORDS. 



Mr. Longman — I will give you a few points : 



Ist. No tree should have more fruit on it than it can hold up 

 well and mature in perfection ; that is to say, that the trees should not 

 be so loaded as to require their being propped, or so much that the 

 branches bend very severely. This checks the growth of the fruit to 

 such an extent as to injure the quality. 



2d. Every time a tree has too much fruit it weakens its vitality 

 to such an extent as to require two or three years to recover, or so 

 checks its growth that it begins to decline and is permanently injured. 



3d. In the production of an over-crop it costs the tree more to 

 ripen the seeds than to make the fruit. 



4th. If, from a tree heavily loaded, there is taken one-half or even 

 three-fourths of the fruit, there will be more bushels of fruit than there 

 would be if all were left on the trees. 



5th. By this practice there will be less poor fruit put upon the 

 market, and the good will bring better prices and give infinitely better 

 satisfaction. 



6th. Thinning makes the fruit of much better quality, makes it 

 keep longer, and produces finer, handsomer, more attractive, and much 

 more desirable and salable fruit. 



7th. When our orchardisis shall look upon thinning as important 

 as cultivation, pruning, care and attention, they will succeed in sup- 

 plying our markets with perfect fruit and of the very best quality, and 

 thus increase the demand, enhance the value, and give vastly more 



satisfaction to both the producer and consumer. 



L. A. Goodman. 



EXPERIENCE IN THINNING. 



Editor Rural World — Yours of the 3d inst. regarding the thinning 

 of fruit is here, and I wish to say that I am aware of its value and 

 familiar with its practice, first in the increase of size and quality, and 

 second, in the keeping of trees and vines in a more healthy condition^ 

 and thus the more likely to become annual bearers instead of every 

 other year, and preventing trees being weakened and broken down 

 from an overload of insipid and comparatively worthless fruit, in which 

 there is little money and less profit to those who send it to market. 



Though I do not feel capable of being of much aid to you in writ- 

 ing your paper, for I well know that you can do the matter justice, I 

 will give you a few points by way of illustration. I now have a few 

 grape vines that were entrusted to an employe that are in consequence 



