RESULTS OF THINNING FRUIT IN 1897. 



^ r^HE time has come in the history 



of fruit growing in Ontario, when 

 , JL finer fruit is wanted, not more of 

 it. Indeed we must cease to pro- 

 duce the poor, small, scabby and wormy 

 apples altogether, the stuff that gluts the 

 markets and spoils our reputation abroad, 

 and instead, produce only the fine large 

 highly colored samples which our coun- 

 try is so well adapted to produce, by giv- 

 ing that attention to the growing crop 

 which it deserves. 



Frequently in the past the importance 

 of tillage and fertilizing has been empha- 

 sized in these columns, but sufficient 

 stress has never been given to the thin- 

 ning of our fruits. By this means it is 

 possible to remove at an early stage all 

 the poor and ill-formed samples, and 

 leave only the finest. The best of all is 

 that the quantity of the yield is not les- 

 sened by this apparent waste, but often 

 increased, by the increased size ; but 

 even if lessened, the financial results 

 would be much better, by reason of the 

 higher prices obtained. 



The following are some of the actual 

 results obtained at Maplehurst during 

 the year 1897, and it will be seen that 

 in peaches, especially, the benefits were 

 most marked. In this experiment pairs 

 of trees were se lected which were a 

 nearly as possible of the same size, and 

 equally laden with fruit. It was most 



astonishing to find in some cases even 

 more baskets of fruit, from the trees 

 thinned, than from those not thinned. 



WHY ORCHARDS ARE FAILING. 



XPERIENCE is one of the 



most potent factors in our 



development. It brings facts 



and causes to our view better 



than possibly anything else. This point 



is well illustrated in my mind by an 



illustration of practical value. An 

 orchard on my father's farm, and not an 

 old orchard either, seemed to be failing, 

 and produced but little merchantable 

 fruit. There was something wrong. 

 This failure or partial failure was not 



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