9 6 

 WHY FRUIT DOES NOT SET. 



Often this happens on young trees because .growers almost 

 always expect a tree to carry a crop before it is sufficiently 

 matured to do so, the fact of the matter being that there is no 

 worse sign to the intelligent grower than to find his trees coming 

 into bearing before the right age. In a young tree we consider 

 that although sometimes it blossoms freely and one would natu- 

 rally expect a crop, it does not set the fruit because the flow of 

 sap is so strong that it tends to throw the fruit off in trees of 

 bearing age for either of the following reasons : 



( i ) Because during the blossoming season continued or 

 frequent rains occur, thus washing out the pollen ; in 

 this matter it may be laid down as a fact that rain in 

 the blossoming season must mean a shortage in the 

 amount of fruit that sets. 

 (2 ) Because the fruit before setting is cut off by a frost or 



cold wind. 



(3) Because insects may be prevented from visiting the 

 flowers during blossoming season ; it is essential that they 

 should do so, and the keeping of bees is quite to be 

 encouraged by growers for this purpose. 

 (4} Because the varieties planted need cross fertilization. 

 Several varieties of apples and pears and plums are in 

 themselves unfertile ; indeed, other classes of fruit are 

 the same in a lesser degree, and to secure a crop must 

 be fertilized with pollen from another sort, therefore 

 it is always advisable not to plant varieties in great big 

 blocks of one sort. In all our own plantings we have 

 invariably kept this matter in view, generally alternating 

 rows with different varieties. Some growers prefer to 

 alternate the single trees, but we think the different rows 

 planted to different sorts should meet the difficulty. 

 In the matter of the fertilization by bees it has been proved 

 that they should be kept within half a mile of the orchard. Al- 

 though they do often work under a radius of two or even three 

 miles, it is not so certain that their work is so effective. 

 We would say as a guide to the planters that : 

 Pears may be expected to come into bearing the 5th or 6th 

 year, dependent on the variety. 



Apples may be expected to come into bearing the 3rd to 6th 

 year, dependent on the variety. 



Peaches may be expected to come into bearing the 3rd year, 

 dependent on the variety. 



.Ipricots may be expected to come into bearing the 4th year, 

 dependent on the variety. 



