Thinning the Fruit 299 



5. The decrease in the labor of picking and packing has 

 already been touched on, so far as it has to do with reducing 

 the number of fruits that must be handled. While thinning 

 may reduce somewhat the total bulk of the fruit produced, 

 it habitually gives more fruit of a good marketable grade. 



Thinning also very much reduces the labor in grading, 

 which is virtually a part of the packing. In thinning care 

 should be exercised to remove the imperfect fruits, all of 

 which would probably be seconds or culls when graded. 

 Thus, the bulk of low-grade fruit is much reduced by careful 

 thinning. 



6. The effect on the tree of wise thinning extends far 

 beyond the current crop, for it is a mortgage on future crops 

 if the tree is seriously depleted by overbearing. Definite 

 mention is made in the quotation from Starcher under item 

 1 of the comparative condition of the fruit-buds on well- 

 thinned and unthinned trees. The inherent condition of 

 individual trees, their strength and vitality, and the way 

 in which they have been maintained are all factors in the 

 depletion resulting from overbearing, but the tendency is 

 well defined and unmistakable. Moreover, it has been 

 observed frequently that trees which are depleted from any 

 cause are much more likely to suffer winter-injury than are 

 trees in good condition. The injury, when it occurs, may 

 be to the fruit-buds or to the woody parts. 



7. Since this item is a corollary of item 6, no further 

 discussion is here necessary. 



8. Thinning may reduce materially the bulk of the fruit, 

 therefore the weight of the crop that a tree develops to 

 maturity, even though the general result is an increase in 

 the quantity of the paying grades. Further, thinning in 

 many cases equalizes the distribution of the weight. The 



