118 TRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OF PRUNING 



The alinve results may apply only to young, vigorous bearing 

 .-ipple trees of Jonathan and Gano when planted on a rich, sandy 

 liiani, free from seepage, in a semi-arid climate, with an abundance 

 I'f irriyatinii water a\ailal)lc. These varieties under the above con- 

 ditions shiiv,' a tendency to o\-erliear soon after reaching a productive 

 age, and are usually thinned. Summer pruning reduces the area of 

 fruitdjearing wood,' the vitality of the tree and the productivity. 



110. 7(S'. 7''7C'/(/ ami small branch pruning may be used to 

 lliiii the fruit and thus also favor regular annual hearing. 



In order to apply tliis rule intelligent!)', it is essential that 

 the primer lie familiar with the way in which the variety 

 he is handling produces its blossom buds (Chapter IV). 

 Otherwise, he may remove desirable ]iarts and actually work 

 against his own interests. Fruit thinning by the removal 

 of twigs and buds during winter is generally a more ex- 

 peditious and economical method than summer thinning of 

 the actual fruit. It can lie done by more intelligent labor 

 when time is less at a premium and, therefore, when better 

 care can be given to the trees. Its greatest drawback is the 

 uncertainty as to the number of bloom buds that will expand, 

 liow many may be frozen after they liave opened, how many 

 fruits may fail to reach maturity. This uncertainty is ob- 

 viously greater in March than in July! Still, manv fruit 

 growers practice it more or less systematically mainly be- 

 cause of its economy. Generally they wait until danger of 

 frost injury has passed so as to reduce the uncertainty as 

 much as possible. 



The fact that thinning the fruit conserves energy is 

 strikingly illustrated by the experience of J. Q. Wells of 

 .Shortsville, N. Y. An orchard, mainly of Baldwin apples, 

 w as 18 v'cars of age, but had never borne a crop when j\Ir. 

 Wells took possession. Beginning a year or two after, how- 

 c\cr, it has borne 20 excellent crops during 22 years, the 

 two failures being due to frost at blossoming time. This 

 is the most striking argument for thinning the author knows. 

 'l"o be sure the achievement is partly due to the consecutive 

 good care the orchard receives, but it is largely due also 

 til the systematic thinning. If .such is the record with the 



