192-2.] Increasing the Commercial Vali ib of Apple's. 149 



diameter cannot be considered as being of the highest grade. 

 Some of the smaller varieties commonly yield a large propor- 

 tion below this size unless means are taken to improve them in 

 this respect. On the other hand, there are a few big varieties, 

 such as Charles Ross and Blenheim Orange, which often grow 

 too large for dessert purposes if given generous treatment. It 

 is desirable, therefore, that the grower should understand the 

 conditions which influence size. In the case of most varieties, 

 however, both cooking and dessert, his object will be to increase 

 the average size, so as to avoid having to deal with large quan- 

 tities of small fruit which must be sold at a low piice. 



Size in apples is influenced largely by the character of the 

 soil. Medium loam soils or clay, which are nam tally retentive 

 of moisture and plant food, produce apples of great size and 

 3ubstance, and are therefore particularly suitable for cooking 

 varieties. On soils of lighter, drier nature big, heavy apples 

 are not so easily grown, but dessert varieties often attain better 

 colour and more delicate and attractive appearance than on the 

 stiffer land which gives size. But, since growers cannot 

 materially alter the character of their soil, they need to know 

 how size may be influenced by cultural methods. 



Conditions which encourage strong growth of the trees also 

 increase the size of the fruit. The finest apples are generally 

 gathered from young trees that are growing vigorously. As the 

 age of the trees increases and the wood growth decreases the 

 apples tend to become smaller. The vigour of the trees, and 

 consequently the size of the fruit, may be increased in several 

 ways, the chief of which are soil cultivation, manuring, pruning 

 and thinning the crop. 



Cultivation and Manuring. — Apples grown in cultivated plan- 

 tations are commonly larger than those yielded by orchards 

 under grass. Thorough surface cultivation during the spring 

 and summer, with the object of maintaining a dust mulch, and 

 so hindering the rising and evaporation of moisture from the 

 soil below, has a beneficial influence on the size of the fruit. On 

 hind inclined to be light and dry surface cultivation can hardly 

 be overdone, particularly during the spring and early summer. 



Manuring also has an important influence on size, the most 

 useful manures for this purpose being those of a bulky organic 

 nitrogenous character, such as farmyard or stable manure and 

 wool shoddy. In the writer's experience a dressing of shoddy 

 at the rate of 2 to 3 tons per acre has always given a noticeable 

 increase in the size of apples. Whilst it is easy to overdo the 

 manuring of young trees which are growing vigorously, and have 



