81 



that he never would let a prop be under his trees. I am 

 perfiectiy willing to admit off-hand that Mr. Marshall's 

 opinion is better than mine, but he has special conditions, 

 young trees, and Mackintosh apples that don't bear very 

 heavily. I think if he had old Baldwin trees he might feel 

 differently. 



A ME^MBER : I had a tree twelve years old that pro- 

 duo'ed 21 barrels. 



MR. PARSONS : On some parts of the trees I have 

 nothing but good apples, and on some parts nothing but bad. 

 Will it help the good apples to pick off all those poor ap- 

 ples ? 



THE PRESIDENT : I should suppose it would, without 

 any question, because otherwise you strain all your trees to 

 develop those poor apples. 



QUESTION: If the trees were not bearing heavily, 

 would you still apply that rule of leaving only one in a clus- 

 ter? Would you sometimes leave two? 



THE PRESIDENT: I don't think you would. I think 

 it would be allowable then to leave a couple. In leaving 

 two apples, you always run the risk of having the codling 

 moth, but if j^ou spray, spray thoroughly you probably will 

 get around that difficulty, but in that case I wouldn't thin 

 as severely on any one part of the tree if I only had a few 

 apples in the tree. 



MR. TUTTLE: Do you draw the line at any height on 

 the tree to which you would advise thinning? 



THE PRESIDENT : Well, I think if you need a 30-foot 

 ladder to reach the lowest limbs. I wouldn 't attempt to thin 

 it. On some old-timers I don't blame any one for balking. 



QUESTION: How do you get at these higher trees to 

 thin, without injuring the trees or leaves? 



THE PRESIDENT : The only way to do it is to take the 

 lower limbs and thin them from a step-ladder, and use an 

 orchard ladder for the higher limbs. I appreciate the fact 

 that when j'ou get these old. high trees, the cost of thinning 

 may be more than the advantage of it is worth. 



