142 Fruit-growing in Arid Regions 



To a certain extent, pruning is a method of thinning, but 

 it will not take the place of hand-thinning entirely. The 

 production of a fancier grade of fruit is not the only benefit 

 derived from thinning: it encourages more regular bear- 

 ing; lessens the loss from the breaking of limbs; and gives 

 the grower an opportunity to destroy insect-infested fruit, 

 and thus check the spread of insects early in the season. 

 The tree that has been properly thinned should produce 

 a good crop of fruit buds each year, and if it has been 

 both properly trained and thinned it will never need a 

 prop. 



While many persons have observed that apple and pear 

 trees are inclined to bear alternate years, probably few 

 understand the cause. Fruit-spurs with terminal fruit- 

 buds, as those of apple and the pear, generally bear in 

 alternate years only, and if the spurs are all full of fruit 

 one year, the next must be an "off-year." Not only do 

 the spurs fail to bear annually, but if the tree is overloaded, 

 spurs that produce bloom, even though they fail to set 

 fruit, may not be sufficiently nourished to produce fruit- 

 buds for the following season. If the tree bears only a 

 moderate crop of fruit, spurs that produce bloom but no 

 fruit often develop fruit-buds the same season. If the 

 tree is bearing a light load, spurs may mature fruit and 

 develop fruit-buds the same season. Varieties differ, and 

 while some are regular bearers under almost any treat- 

 ment, others show a stubborn inclination to bear only 

 alternate years. After the old tree has fallen into the 

 habit of bearing alternate years, it is no doubt more diffi- 

 cult to get it back to a regular bearing habit. Off-years 

 are not uncommon with some of the fruit trees bearing 



