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186 THE GENESEE FARMER. 



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CONDUCTED BY P. BAKRT. 



HINTS ON THINNING FRUIT. 



The prospects of an abundant fruit crop throughout most of the fruit growing regions of 

 this country, have scarcely ever been better, according to the best information we can 

 obtain, than they are the present season. The winter was of more than an average 

 mildness ; and the spring, 'hough early, has been cool, without any violent changes 

 likely to' affect the fruit buds. At the present moment (May 14th) Peaches, Cherries, 

 and Pears, show a remarkable profusion of blossoms. The temperature is lower than 

 we could wish it to be, and for several nights there has been here a light frost, but owing 

 to the dryness of the atmosphere, it has not, as far as we are able to judge, done any 

 serious injury. Everything looks promising. Last season the crop was very light 

 generally — in many localities si total tailure ; and this will contribute much to the abun- 

 dance of this season's crop. 



Now we wish tq offer a few hints in regard to certain precautions, which the circum- 

 stances call for ; that is, provided the crop will be as heavy as we have reason to 

 anticipate. It is very well known that in favorable seasons, after a failure especially, 

 trees bear too much. It is very common too see them so loaded with fruit as not only 

 to cease growing" entirely, but to bend and break down under its weight. This should 

 be guarded against. Trees are in a multitude of cases enfeebled, Iwoken, contract 

 diseases, and are, in short, ruined by excessive bearing; and every man who appreciates 

 the value of a full grown bearing fruit tree, worth from $100 to $500 as the case may 

 be, should guard against such a i-esult as carefull34 as he would his ox or his horse against 

 excessive labor that would be certain to injure or kill them. 



Trees, like animals, have constitutions that can, by proper treatment, be kept sound 

 for a great length of time, or by neglect, or bad treatment, broken down. Our opinion 

 is that the feeble, diseased, and short-lived condition of the peach tree in New Jersey is 

 due, in a great measure, to a greedy or careless system of over-cropping. W« know 

 how races of men and horses degenerate, from hard labor and bad treatment — how they 

 dwindle down in size, loose their proportion, symmetry, and intelligence — in short, wear 

 out, to use a very common but expressive term. Trees " wear out," too. How many 

 we have all seen that in their youth, even before they had arrived at a full bearing age 

 and size, began to look old — the branches twisted and knarly, the bark rough and mossy 

 and all covered with small, feeble, ill-formed buds and fruit spurs, loaded perhaps with 

 small, worthless fruit, not worth picking up. 



Now those who desire to guard their trees against wearing out, must not be too 

 greedy of a great crop. They must master that natural reluctance we all feel to pick off 

 a portion of the fruit. They must thin them out so as to leave them evenh' distributed 

 over the tree, and only so many as can be brought to full and perfect maturity without 

 injury or death to the tree. But we shall be asked, "How are we to know how many 

 we ought to leave or how many to take?" AVell, we confess it takes some little skill 

 and experience to thin a crop judiciously, but he who goes about it in earnest will find 

 some indications to aid him. It will not do to thin in all cases alike, because the 

 vigorous tree, in a generous soil, will carry a large crop without injury, and one that 

 wt)uld be almost certain death to a delicate or feeble tree having limited resources in the 

 way of/oocZ, just as a' healthy, robust, well fed man can perform a day's work with ease 

 ^ that a weakly, ill fed man dare not attempt. The growth of a tree, the appearance of 



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