CHAPTER X 

 THINNING FRUIT 



Fruit trees often set more fruit than they are able to bring 

 to maturity in marketable condition. This is true even after 

 the grower has given proper attention to pruning, spraying, 

 soil management, and other standard orchard practices. 



Thinning the fruit on the trees under such conditions is an 

 operation that has justified itself in many careful tests. It is 

 now a part of the plan of orchard management of many suc- 

 cessful growers. Thus far it has been confined primarily to 

 the apple, peach, and plum. 



Operations: 



1. Consider conditions under which thinning is advisable. 



2. Consider results that may be expected from thinning. 



3. Determining time to thin. 



4. Thinning apples. 



5. Thinning peaches. 



6. Thinning plums. 



1. Consider Conditions under Which Thinning Is Advis- 

 iable. Thinning accomplishes very little unless the tree is carry- 

 ing at least a moderate crop. It will accomplish relatively more 

 as the load on the tree approaches a heavy or full crop. Thin- 

 ning may be worth while if one side of the tree is heavily 

 loaded and the other side has no crop, because the size of 

 the fruit is largely determined by the leaf surface adjacent to 

 the individual specimen and available for its development. 

 Only judgment and experience will indicate the point at which 

 the operation becomes sound practice. 



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