NOTES A AD COMMENTS. 



liindered, will soon be so entirely overcome 

 that we shall no longer see a glut of good 

 fruit, no matter how excessive our crop ; for 

 always some other part of the world will be 

 eager to swallow up our surplus, providing 

 it is accessible. 



Our own great Northwest is opening up 

 a vast market for our grapes, which are so 

 unpopular in England, and likewise for our 

 excellent plums, which can be grown along 

 our lakes in such quantities. Germany, 

 France, Russia and Austria, all want our 

 fancy high colored apples ; Scotland and 

 England want our fine pears ; and now even 

 the Orient is beginning to ask for our apples. 

 This latter statement is based upon the fol- 

 lowing report by United States Consul 

 Miller, at Muchwang, China, concerning 

 fifty boxes of apples sent from Portland, 

 Oregon, on September 28th, 1901, and which 

 reached China November loth, in good 

 shape, and every box arrived intact. The 

 percentage of loss was greatest with the 

 Red Russian variety (75 per cent), and 

 least with the Ben Davis (2 per cent) ; the 

 Spitzenberg lost 10 per cent, the Shannon 

 Pippin 25 per cent, and the Jonathan 50 

 per cent. California ships a quantity of 

 third-grade yellow Newtons to China. 



"Some of these," says Mr. Miller, "are 

 consumed by foreigners, but most of them 

 go to the Chinese fruit stands and restaur- 

 ants and are eaten by natives. The Chinese 

 appetite for fresh fruit is strong, and apples 

 are in great flavor ; the only obstacle to the 

 creation of a large market is the inability of 

 the masses to purchase. The average China- 

 man does not distinguish the different var- 

 ieties of apples, and if inferior grades could 

 be sent at low rates an extensive outlet 

 could be created. 



"Northern routes are the best for ship- 

 ping green fruits. All shipments of apples 

 for the northern ports of China should be 

 sent by Oct. i, on account of the danger of 

 freezing if they arrive late in the season. 



If the fruit reaches North China in good 

 condition, it will keep well on account of 

 the dry, cold climate. The presence of the 

 Russians in Vladivostock, Port Arthur and 

 Dalny will increase the market for our 

 apples, as the Russians like this fruit very 

 much." 



THINNING FRUIT. 



If present appearances are at all indica- 

 tive of the season's crop, there will be a 

 phenomenal yield of almost every kind 

 of fruit. Peach, apple, pear, cherry and 

 plum trees, all seem to be competing to 

 see which can make the best showing, 

 and if one half the fruit were to hang 

 until mature, our orchard trees would be 

 exhausted for years to come. We there- 

 fore warn our readers to be on their guard 

 against such an evil by thinning the fruit 

 most carefully. 



Effect on Peaches. — Experiments made at 

 Maplehurst, during the last few years, have 

 clearly proved that thinning of peaches very 

 much increases the size of the fruit, gives it 

 more color, largely increases the quality of 

 No. I fruit, and in some cases increases the 

 total number of baskets harvested. In 

 some cases it was found to increase the net 

 income in cash for the trees thinned, over 

 those not thinned. 



Effect on Plums. — Experiments made at 

 the Wisconsin Experiment Station seem to 

 prove that equally good results may be had 

 from thinning plums, as we have had with 

 peaches. About four-fifths of the fruit was 

 removed from a portion of a tree of Gale 

 Seedling plums, leaving the fruit about two 

 inches apart on the branches, shown in Fig. 

 2317 ; while the other branches are lett un- 

 touched. The increase in size is quite 

 evident in our illustration, which is taken 

 from a photograph. 



Effect on Apples. — While the results in the 

 case of apples may not be so clear as with 

 peaches and plums, still the effect on the 

 tree is no unimportant factor ; for when our 



