THINNING THE FRUIT 



231 



4. The fruit is of better size and color. The improvement in 

 these respects will be a revelation to the man who has never 

 thinned. The fruit seems to swell right out after the tree is 

 thinned and runs a very even grade at picking time (Fig. 109). 



The evidence as to tlie effect of thinning on regularity of 

 bearing is somewhat conflicting. Earlier investigations seemed 

 to indicate that it did make trees bear more regularly ; later 



Fio. 109. — Branch of an apple tr°e that was thinned twice. Even now mere are some 

 apples left that should have been taken off. The most difficult thing in thinning is to get 

 the men to take off enough fruit. 



experiments do not indicate this. This latter is not surprising 

 Avhen we remember that recent investigations indicate that the 

 question as to whether a particular bud in a certain season is 

 to be a fruit bud or a leaf bud is probably determined on most 

 fruit trees the previous season, at about the time the trees blossom. 

 We ought not, therefore, to expect an operation performed two 

 months later to have any particular effect on this point but even 

 without any influence on regularity of bearing we have a goodly 

 array of advantages that ought to be sufficient to at least warrant 

 a fruit grower in making a start. Once the start is made the 

 practice will probably be kept up. 



