280 The Commercial Apple Industry 



secures uniformity of size and market quality of fruit; 

 (8) insures a high price for crop. 



(1) The statement that thinning tends to increase the 

 size and quality of the remaining fruit will go unques- 

 tioned. Not only are the apples larger, but the color of 

 fruit on well thinned trees is noticeably better than on 

 overloaded ones. It is manifest that well developed speci- 

 mens of good size and color will be of a superior quality 

 and flavor. 



(2) By reducing the number of apples to be picked and 

 handled at harvest time, the harvesting costs are materially 

 lowered. If apples are not removed at thinning time, 

 they must be picked at harvest at an even greater expense. 

 Many of the culls and inferior fruits can be removed in 

 thinning and this will not only tend to improve the quality 

 of the fruit, but will reduce the sorting cost at harvest 

 time. 



(3) If trees are left overloaded, their vitality is im- 

 paired ; branches are quite likely broken ; and the pros- 

 pects for the next year's crop are very much poorer than 

 if the tree had been properly thinned. It is difficult to 

 measure the exact value of thinning as affecting annual 

 yields and yet it is a notable fact that thinning unques- 

 tionably stimulates annual bearing. Many well thinned 

 orchards in the Northwest bear heavy crops annually while 

 most unthinned orchards tend to bear biennially. 



(4) To claim that thinning reduces the tax on the 

 vitality of the tree and yet maintain that it actually in- 

 creases yield may seem contradictory. Unquestionably it 

 increases average annual yield and it is a fact that in- 

 creased size in fruit usually more than makes up for 



