106 POMOLOGY 



2. To prevent the breaking of the limbs. 



3. To reduce disease and insect injury to the fruit. 



4. To maintain the vigor of the trees. 



5. To secure more regular bearing. 



6. To decrease the labor of handling the crop. 



93. To increase the size of the fruit. — Probably the 

 greatest advantage of thinning is the increase in the size of 

 the remaining fruits and this is well borne out by experi- 

 mental evidence. In fact, practically all data are expressed 

 in terms of percentage of large and small fruits from the 

 thinned and unthinned trees, and the amount of each. It 

 is true, of course, that the increase in size will depend on 

 several factors, especially the amount of fruit which has set. 

 It is seldom that a heavily laden tree will not show a marked 

 increase in size of fruit, if it is thinned sufficiently early and 

 enough is removed. Disappointment is likely to result if a 

 grower has his first experience in thinning a tree that is 

 carrying but a moderate crop. The age and vigor of the 

 trees are also important factors determining the amount of 

 fruit an individual tree can carry through to maturity. 

 The varietal factor again plays an important part, as does 

 the cultural treatment. The following tables are fairly 

 representative of the influence of thinning apples on the 

 size of the remaining fruit: 



