68 POMOLOGY 



Gardner ' has conducted an experiment on the bending 

 of dormant shoots into vertical, horizontal, or downward 

 positions, and reports that no advantage is to be gained by 

 the practice, "Its most important influence is to reverse 

 the relative locations of spurs and branch shoots on any 

 single season's wood that is bent and such a reversal cannot 

 be regarded as worth the cost if indeed it is in any way 

 desirable." 



61. Dwarfing of fruit-trees, which is accomplished by 

 working them on slow-growing stock, is commonly advocated 

 as a means of bringing them into earlier bearing. Doubtless 

 considerable misapprehension exists on this matter. Although 

 some precocity in bearing is often obtained, veiy little is 

 gained in the yield of commercial crops. Hedrick - conducted 

 the most extensive experiment with dwarf apples that has 

 been reported in this country, but several unavoidable 

 inequalities crept into the work during its progress so that 

 the results were affected in some particulars. Trees were 

 worked on Crab (standard), Doucin (half dwarf), and 

 Paradise (full dwarf) stocks. The differences in yield at the 

 time the results were reported (after ten years) were not 

 great, but there seemed to be little preference between the 

 French Crab and the Doucin stocks while the full dwarfs 

 had produced lower yields. The general conclusions of the 

 author were to the effect that dwarf fruit-trees have no place 

 in a commercial orchard. 



62. Thinning is commonly cited as a means of bringing 

 about annual bearing. While additional data may modify 

 the present view, it can be stated briefly that such an in- 

 fluence on fruit-bud formation has not been accomplished 

 with mature apple trees but has been reported experimentally 

 with the peach and apricot. With these fruits it has not 



1 Gardner, V. R. Ore. Agr. Exp. Sta. Bull. 146. 



2 N. Y. (Geneva) Agr. Exp. Sta. Bull. 406. 



