262 BOARD OF AGEICULTUEE. 



A Member: Mr. President, I move that all the remaining papers under 

 this general head be read and then discussed. 



President Stevens: Will this be taken by consent? 



Several Members: Consent, consent. 



President Stevens: We will then have the remaining papers read 

 and then all discussed together. 



THINNING THE APPLE. 



BY JONAS STINEMAN, V^^AUPECONG. 



In all occupations and stations in life the ambition of man is to attain 

 the highest degree of success. And in order to reach this desirable result 

 in any capacity it is necessary to observe and perform every part of the 

 labor Avith the utmost care and the highest degree of perfection. This 

 principle applies to no industry more particularly than to that of fruit 

 growing. Hence the orchardist starts with the selection and preparation 

 of his soil, the selection and planting of his trees, the cultivation, pinining 

 and caring of his orchard. These stages of labor and care are necessary 

 previous to the setting of the first crop of fruit. But at this stage of the 

 growth of the fruit comes a very important work, viz.: That of thinning 

 fmit when necessary. It is sometimes said that the successful farmer 

 causes two blades of grass to gi'ow Avhere before but one l)lade grew. But 

 this sentence might well be reversed in applying it to many an orchardist 

 by saying that the successful gi'ower causes but one apple to grow where 

 before two apples grew. 



The object sought and obtained by the process of thinning fruit is 

 two fold. First, by proper thinning a much greater per cent, of first- 

 class fruit is secured and a correspondingly higher price is obtained 

 therefor. Second, by thinning the fruit the future vigor and vitality of 

 the tree is largely enhanced without materially diminishing the quantity 

 of the fruit. To the masses of inexperienced fruit growers it is incom- 

 prehensible Avhy a given number of bushels of small apples should tax 

 the vitality of a tree to a greater degree than to grow the same quantity 

 of large apples on the same tree. 



This condition, however, is brought about by the fact that a small 

 apple produces as many seeds as a large one, and the development and 

 maturing of seed exhaust the vitality of a tree to a much greater extent 

 than the production of fruit pulp. 



