NOTES AND COMMENTS. 



an experiment in thinning Kieffer pears 

 at Maplehurst this season. Two trees 

 on which the fruit had set very heavily 

 were selected, and the smaller one (bear- 

 ing approximately about six-sevenths of 

 the crop on its companion tree) was 

 thinned on the 26th May. very shortly 

 after the blossom had fallen. Eleven- 

 twelfths of the fruit was removed. As 

 early as the 4th July a visitor to the 

 farm being asked if he noticed any 

 difference between the two trees, re- 

 marked on the superior size of the pears 

 on the thinned tree. Both trees were 

 picked on the 22nd of Sept. The 

 thinned tree gave three and a third 

 baskets, and the tree not thinned only 

 two and a third, and the pears on the 

 thinned tree were about twice the size 

 of those on its companion tree. In 

 view of the fact that Kieffer pears 

 usually load very heavily, and also are 

 much improved in quality if removed 

 from the tree at a much longer time 

 before maturity than other pears, these 

 results would seem worthy of further 

 test. In the case of pears in general, 

 an early thinning soon after the blossoms 

 fall, would seem to lessen the natural 

 drop from the tree, a greater number of 

 fruits coming to maturity on the thinned 

 trees than on those not thinned. Late 

 thinning of pears would seem to be use- 

 less and unprofitable. In the case of 

 early thinning it is yet doubtful whether 

 the increase in the harvest will com- 

 pensate for the expense of thinning. 



Canadian Fruit at Omaha. — We 

 are pleased to receive word from Mr. H. 

 C. Knowlton, Commissioner in charge 

 at Omaha, that the shipments of sample 

 fruit sent him are arriving in good con- 

 dition, and are creating a favorable im- 

 pression upon the people there, who 

 have entertained the common erroneous 

 impression that Canada is a land of snow 



and ice. Shipments have gone forward 

 from the Central Experimental Farm, 

 Ottawa ; from the Experimental Farm at 

 Agassis, B. C. ; from Essex and Lincoln 

 Counties in Ontario, and from Wolf- 

 ville, N. S. 



This is a Busy Month with the fruit 

 grower. His orchard needs ploughing ; 

 rubbish must be cleared up and burned; 

 the vineyard may be pruned ; the rasp- 

 berry plantation cleared of old canes ; 

 currant bushes may be transplanted ; 

 ladders and implements should be clean- 

 ed, the woodwork painted and all put 

 away in a dry sheltered place. 



The American Apple Barrel. — 

 The U. S. National Apple Shipper's As- 

 sociation passed the following resolution, 

 August 6, 1897:— "That this Associa- 

 tion recognizes as the standard barrel 

 for apples, a barrel which is of the capa- 

 city of a flour barrel, which is 17^^ in. 

 in diameter of head, and 28^ in. in 

 length of stave, and bulge not less than 

 64 inches, outside measurement." 



Grades for Apples. — We notice the 

 grades adopted by the U. S. National 

 Apple Shipper's are about the same as 

 those adopted by us in our export trade 

 to Great Britain, which we call A No. i, 

 and No. i. The following is the reso- 

 lution of that Society : — " That the grade 

 No. I shall be divided into two classes, 

 A and B. That the standard for size 

 for class A shall not be less than 2Y2 

 inches in diameter and shall include such 

 varieties as the Ben Davis, Willow Twig, 

 Baldwin, Greening, and other varieties 

 kindred in size. That the standard for 

 class B shall not be less than 2^ inches 

 in diameter, and shall include such vari- 

 eties as the Romanite, Russet, Winesup, 

 Jonathan, Missouri Pippin, and other 



441 



