452 



THINNING FRUIT 



of development of the young fruits is a much more reliable 

 index of the proper time to thin than the calendar, and that 

 the time when the fruits are about % inch long with the pits 

 still soft is the most favorable from the standpoint of influenc- 

 ing size and color, favorable effects from the operation de- 

 creasing gradually beyond that point. It was found also that 

 thinning at the stage indicated did give over the 3-year period 

 larger yields than thinning later in the season. The increase 

 was particularly marked in a light-crop year for peaches in 

 general so that the returns from the trees thinned as indicated 

 were substantially greater. 



In the Shenandoah-Cumberland region records from vari- 

 ous commercial orchards indicate that it took 32 to 34 minutes 

 per tree to thin large Hiley trees 16 years old, from which 

 3 bushels of fruit were picked at harvest. 



6. Thinning Plums. No fruit responds to thinning more 

 than the plum. This is especially true of the Japanese 

 varieties such as Abundance or Burbank, which often bear 

 fruit almost in ropes along the branches. Under normal condi- 

 tions thinning from 2 to 3 inches apart leads to a marked in- 

 crease in size of the specimens without affecting the total 

 yield. 



COMMUNITY STUDIES 



1. Visit ten of the leading apple and peach growers in the community. 



2. Determine how many have thinned and discontinued the practice, 

 and the reasons therefor ; how many have adopted it as standard orchard 

 practice. 



3. Determine from growers: 



a. Conditions justifying operation. 

 h. Time of operation. 



c. Method of thinning. 



d. Results in terms of total crop, proportion in higher grades, 



cost of harvesting and packing, prices received. 



e. Thinning costs. 



/. Taking into account saving in costs at harvest time by reason 

 of thinning, how much thinning adds to the cost of grow- 

 ing the crop. 



