THINKING. 271 



some have decided that peaches should not be nearer than 

 nine inches ; plums and nectarines may be separated by a 

 smaller distance ; but it is not easy to lay down a precise 

 rule. 



Thinning is not often practiced upon the strawberry 

 crop, which appears able upon suitable soils to produce a 

 great abundance of fine fruit, but it may. be done by the 

 curious, and enormous show specimens, such as are often 

 exhibited at fairs, are produced by special care and high 

 manuring, aided greatly by judicious thinning ; not only 

 by cutting back a portion of the crowns, so as to throw 

 the whole force of the plant into one or two trusses, but 

 still further, by removing with the scissors a portion of 

 the blossoms or fruit, so that the few which are left may 

 become enormously distended with the nutriment that had 

 been stored up in the plant for a much greater number. 

 Some may consider this one of the tricks of the trade, and 

 so it is when merely done for the sake of deceiving the 

 public, who are asked to purchase the variety by the sam- 

 ple of fruit, without detailing the arts by which the re- 

 sults were accomplished : but there can be no objection 

 raised against such practices when pursued by the amateur 

 for the sake of producing unusually large fruits of any va- 

 riety. 



The English pursue a similar method with their show 

 gooseberries ; by means of thinning and high feeding, with 

 great attention to watering, these fruits are made to as- 

 sume gigantic proportions that are little dreamed of by 

 cultivators of the smaller varieties, which are chiefly 

 grown in this country. 



The grape is very prone to over-production, and the 



