Thinning the Fruits 249 



able in the case of monilia, or brown fruit-rot, which often 

 ruins the peach or plum crop in wet seasons, while the 

 specimens of fruit attacked by the curculio were largely 

 removed in thining." 



Good results have been reported in thinning of cane- 

 fruits. Experiments at the Cornell Station with rasp- 

 berries and blackberries failed, however, to give such 

 specific results, as reported by Card: "To test the feasi- 

 bility of thinning berries, rows of Cuthbert raspberry and 

 Early Cluster blackberry were thinned by clipping off 

 the tips of most of the clusters, and also by reducing 

 the number of clusters, especially in the raspberry. The 

 result was not encouraging, for the eye could detect no 

 increase of size in the berries on thinned plants, and as 

 the principal object was to increase the size and attrac- 

 tiveness of the fruit, it seems to have failed of its purpose. 

 It should be said, however, that the season was favorable 

 for berries, and the crop was very fine. In a very dry 

 season, or with varieties much inclined to overbear, the 

 result might be different. In general, however, the thin- 

 ing can be managed well enough and much more cheaply 

 by regulating the amount of bearing wood at the annual 

 spring pruning." 



It is not probable that the thinning of the bush-fruits 

 will pay as a rule, inasmuch as they are not closely graded 

 or sold by the size of the berry. Nor are cherries thinned. 

 Grapes grown for table use may probably be thinned with 

 good results. If it pays to thin apples, it ought also to pay 

 to thin pears. 



How to thin. 



The thinning of tree-fruits is performed in essentially 

 the same way. as the fruits are picked; that is, the fruits 



