CHAPTER XV. 



THINNING AND GATHERING FRUIT. 



The theory of thinning fruit has been reduced to 

 practice by some of our most successful cultivators with 

 very happy effects. Besides injuring the trees, over- 

 bearing always tends to produce inferior and often 

 worthless fruit. If the largest size and best quality of 

 fruit are desired, it is as necessary to reduce the quantity 

 on an overburdened tree as it is to thin out cotton or 

 corn to the proper stand. A good time for thinning is 

 when the fruit is about half grown, as much that is de- 

 fective can then be detected and removed. By giving 

 every sound specimen of fruit plenty of room to develop, 

 and allowing no limb to be burdened beyond its capacity, 

 at gathering time the quantity of fruit will not be ma- 

 terially reduced, the quality will be greatly improved, 

 and the trees will be left in a much better condition. 

 After a good crop of fruit has grown, it is often serious- 

 ly damaged by careless gathering. There are numerous 

 fruit pickers which are often useful, but with good lad- 

 ders of convenient lengths, gathering can be done well 

 and rapidly by hand. Shaking to the ground or threshing 

 oflF with polls must be avoided and the fruit carefully 

 handled, not poured from one vessel to another like 

 so much dry grain. When properly handled and as- 

 sorted according to grade, fruit will keep much longer 

 and bring far better prices in market. 



