THINNING FRUIT. 



coming 



INCE our experience of 1897 

 in thinning peaches and apples, 

 we are resolved to give it much 

 more attention during the 

 season. We must avoid pro- 

 ducing poor fruit, and we must not allow 

 our trees to carry a poor article to ma- 

 turity, else we have the temptation be- 

 fore us of trying to dispose of it for 

 money, when it should never be offered 

 for sale. 



We are pleased to note what our friend 

 L. A. Goodman, of Missouri, says about 

 it in the Rural World, as follows : 



I St. No tree should have more fruit 

 on it than it can hold up well and ma- 

 ture 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. 



2nd. 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. 



3rd. 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 

 it 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 desir- 

 able and salable fruit. 



7th When our orchardists shall look 

 upon thinning as important as cultiva- 

 tion, pruning, care and attention, they 

 will succeed in supplying 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. 



COAL ASHES. 



ORMERLY the dust from the 

 sifting of our furnace ashes 

 flew about and was a nuis- 

 ance. 

 I procured a packing case at a shop, 

 got a piece of wire cloth, made a three- 

 inch deep, square sieve, put slits on side 

 of box for it to run on, used an old 

 broom handle for a shaker. With this 

 rig, and the lid on case, ashes can be 

 sifted easily and with almost entire ab- 

 sence of dust by giving them a few 

 shakes and letting the dust settle before 

 removing the lid. 



A USE FOR THEM. 



I have at last found a use for our 

 sifted ashes. 



As a stable absorbant and drier, 

 sprinkle them on floor of stalls, the am- 

 monia smell will at once disappear and 

 the stable air be purified. As to their 

 value beyond as an absorbent I know 

 not, but they no doubt carry out with 

 them a certain amount of valuable in- 

 gredients when so used. 



I. Small. 

 Medalta, Port Hope. 

 227 



