THE APPLE 43 



other time. This is a very good practice, but it is 

 so difficult to find time during the rush of early sum- 

 mer work that the author prefers to do the work all 

 at once and have it out of the way. 



THINNING FRUIT 



No grower can expect to produce large and fine 

 fruit, of good color and quality, if his trees are allowed 

 to overbear, as most varieties will surely do if the fruit 

 is not thinned. It seems like a great undertaking to 

 go over large trees, and this is the strongest argument 

 for low-headed trees, but the work can be done very 

 rapidly by help who gain a little skill in the work. 

 All imperfect or wormy fruit is picked and dropped to 

 the ground, and if the. tree has set a large quantity of 

 fruit no two apples should be nearer than three inches 

 apart. 



The great advantages of thinning are: (1) All 

 worms in the fruit picked off are destroyed. (2) No poor 

 fruit will have to be picked and sorted. (3) The trees 

 will not be as much weakened in maturing one-half 

 or one-third the crop as if it carried the whole. (4) The 

 fruit will be much larger, of better color and quality, 

 and the remaining fruit will grow so much larger that 

 the quantity will be equal to the whole unthinned crop 

 and bring a much larger price. 



The cost of thinning must vary very much with 

 the size and the hight of the trees, the quantity of 

 fruit set and the skill of the workman. Based upon 

 the cost in several orchards where thinning is practiced, 

 the cost will range from ten cents to one dollar per 

 tree. Even at the latter figure, 'with large trees of 

 standard varieties, yielding from three to five barrels 

 per tree, the difference in the value will pay for the 

 labor and leave a good margin for profit. The range 

 of prices between fancy apples and the ordinary grades 



