THINNING 167 



Some people thin to a definite number of boxes for each tree 

 of a certain age. This number may be determined by actually 

 counting the apples on one or two trees. Other growers have 

 learned by experience the proper distance between apples if they are 

 to reach a marketable size. When eight-year-old and nine-year-old 

 Jonathan trees were thinned to a minimum distance of 4 inches, 

 there were still too many apples remaining for their maximum 

 development. A minimum distance of 5 or 6 inches would no 

 doubt have given better results. On young Gano trees good results 

 were obtained from thinning to one fruit on a spur, with the spurs 

 a minimum distance apart of about 6 inches. Some varieties of 

 apples, like the Winesap, tend to set too abundantly and need 

 heavier thinning than most other varieties. With the Newtown the 

 Western growers thin so as to have as many 4-tier apples as possible. 



It is evident that no exact rules for thinning can be formulated. 

 The requirements will vary for different varieties, for different trees 

 in the same year, and for the same tree in different years, according 

 to the amount of fruit which is set. 



Time to thin. For the best results the thinning operation should 

 commence immediately after the June drop, while the apples are 

 1 inch or i.V inches in diameter. Broken limbs may be avoided 

 if the thinning is done in August, but the other benefits will not 

 be so pronounced as when the work is done earlier. It is only 

 natural to expect that the sooner the remaining apples have the 

 benefit of the entire strength and nourishment of the tree, the better 

 will be the results. In other words, less of the tree's energy will 

 be thrown away and more diverted to the proper channels if the 

 thinning is done early in the season. Sometimes it pays to go over 

 the trees more than once — even three times in special cases is 

 not too much. Sometimes the thinnings obtained from the second 

 and the third operation may be sold at remunerative prices. 



Cost of thinning. According to Western figures the cost of 

 thinning is slight compared with the increased returns. The actual 

 time spent in thinning will be saved at harvest in the sorting of 

 the crop. If, however, full time is charged to this thinning work, 

 the cost should not exceed from 1^ cents to 2 cents per box of 

 harvested fruit. In the case of the Gano variety, which is more 

 readily thinned than some other sorts, the cost will hardly exceed 



