THE THINNING OF FRUIT 



121 



Table XXIV 

 record of ripe fruit from thinned and unthinned trees (after 

 close) 



108. Thinning the plum. — Experience has differed in the 

 advantages secured by thinning plums. In some places 

 very good results were obtained in increasing the size of 

 the fruit, while in others the increase was almost nothing. 

 Some varieties fruit so heavily, however, that it would be 

 well to thin to prevent the trees from breaking and to re- 

 duce disease and insect injuries. 



Garcia 's ^ work showed that definite results were ob- 

 tained by thinning plums to six inches apart and to a less 

 extent to three inches. The trees thinned to six inches pro- 

 duced on the average 84.1 per cent of first-grade fruit, those 

 to three inches 77.6 per cent, and the unthimied trees 50.5 

 per cent: 



' Fancy, above 2J^ inches in diameter. 



2 First grade, 21^ inches or slightly less in diameter. 



3 Garcia, F. New Mexico Agr. Exp. Sta. Bull. 39. 1901. 



