THINNING APPLES 



449 



allowed to touch, since they afford at the point of contact an 

 easy means for entrance of the side-worm broods of codling 

 moth. A few varieties, however, bear in terminal clusters, like 

 Winter Banana and Cortland. These cannot be thinned so 

 that no apples are in contact without reducing the crop con- 

 siderably. 



Fig. 173. These Stayman Winesap apples were thinned to 6 to 7 inches 

 apart. There will be little loss in grading. 



Thinning is usually done by hand. Some growers use shears 

 with slender blades, such as grape picking shears. Care must 

 be exercised not to break off the spurs. In thinning by hand, 

 the apple stem is grasped by the thumb and forefinger and the 

 fruit is pushed off the stem with the other fingers. The strain 

 is put on the stem rather than on the spur. Women often are 



